While the physics involved are nothing short of amazing, the effects aren’t quite as other-worldly as the article makes it seem. Pulsars shoot enormous streams of light and energy out from two ends, but are otherwise very tiny. So to be seen, the streams have to be pointed straight at us. When they do point straight at us, the star’s incredibly fast spin carries them away from us and back to us very quickly. Hence, they appear to pulse. This pulsar is simply spinning in a second direction a little, so we’re no longer lined up with the streams of energy.
The one thing I need to know about physics that makes it amazing:
There is so little actual material in the universe to mean it is made out of nothing.