Discovery of Optical Signals from Pulsar NP 0532 in Nature 221, 5180, February 8, 1969, pp. 525–527
London: Macmillan & Sons, 1969. 1st Edition. FIRST EDITION IN ORIGINAL PAPER WRAPS OF ONE OF THE LANDMARK DISCOVERIES IN PULSAR ASTRONOMY. In 1967, astronomers had discovered pulsars using radio telescopes, but no one had ever seen one in visible light. It was Cocke, in this paper, who first showed a pulsar could be observed in visible light. His work transformed pulsars from mysterious radio signals into directly observable stellar remnants and provided key evidence for the neutron-star model.
Cocke’s paper reported the first detection of visible (optical) flashes from a pulsar—the pulsar NP 0532, now known as the Crab Pulsar. The flashes occurred at exactly the same rapid rate (about 30 times per second) as the radio pulses.
Pulsars are real astronomical objects, not just mysterious radio sources. Pulsars emit energy across multiple parts of the electromagnetic spectrum—not just radio waves. The source of the pulses could be identified with the remnant of the supernova that created the Crab Nebula, strongly supporting the idea that pulsars are rapidly rotating neutron stars.
The discovery opened a new field of multi-wavelength pulsar astronomy. Soon afterward, astronomers detected pulsars in X-rays, gamma rays, and other wavelengths, allowing much more complete studies of these extreme objects. Item #1701
CONDITION & DETAILS: London: Macmillan & Co. Nature, Volume 221, No. 5180. Original Wraps. (10 x 7 inches; 250 x 175mm). Original paper wraps. There is a small, quite faint arrival date stamped on the front wrap; no other marks whatsoever. Near fine condition.
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