How Can I Sync with Pulsar PSR B1919+21 in Real Time?

[dzucconi]

Soo...

I'm trying to "sync" something up with PSR B1919+21. (so in essence I'm just looking to have an indication (preferably audio) of its cycle/period in real time. (PSR B1919+21 has a period of 1.337 seconds and a pulse width of 0.04 second.) I'm wondering if there any online streams of data that are available online or that can be somehow be arranged. (I tried searching. Are there any radio telescopes that would be willing to provide this data?) An audio stream of its "sound" would be ideal. (i realize that, probably, none of these are "real" time) Alternatively a list of its pulses and their exact moments in time... I was thinking I could write a small program that would sync with it using that as a base to start from. Anyway... I'm more or less wondering if this is feasible and perhaps if anyone could point me to someone who can help.

:/

 

[chroot]

It would be very easy to write a program that produces a pulse train of 0.04 second pulses with a period of 1.337 seconds, and then dumps that into a .wav file.

Synchronizing this program so that it actually produces pulses at the same time that the pulsar "lights up" would be essentially impossible, unless you had your own local radio telescope. Otherwise, network delays, etc. would ruin any synchrony. Besides, the phase relationship wouldn't matter at all for an audio signal.

- Warren

 

[dzucconi]

hmmm.
yeah i can handle the quasi-simulation easily in Max/MSP.
my understanding of pulsars (of which i have little), is that they follow a very strict pattern. You don't think it would be possible to have something more or less check the time and then sync up using some previous known pulse? (i understand that it wouldn't be _exact_ unless I am using an atomic clock or something.) or is my understanding of their cycles completely off.

What do you mean when you say the phase relationship wouldn't matter for an audio signal?

 

[chroot]

Your ear is not going to care whether this pulse train starts at t=0 seconds or t=0.1 seconds. It'll sound the same.

- Warren

 

[Borek]

No radiotelescope placed on Earth surface is able to trace any point on the sky 24 hours a day. That's simple geometry :)

Even if you happen to build it on the pole (be it South or North) half the sky is beyond your reach.