Which of the following best describes a pulsar?

A pulsar is best described as a rotating neutron star that emits beams of radiation. When a neutron star forms, typically from the collapsed core of a massive star after a supernova explosion, it has an extremely strong magnetic field and rotates at very high speeds. The radiation emitted from a pulsar is generally in the form of radio waves, although some pulsars can emit X-rays or gamma rays as well.

As the neutron star rotates, the beams of radiation sweep across the sky much like a lighthouse, and when Earth is in the path of these beams, we observe them as regular pulses of radiation. This is why pulsars are named so; they pulsate in terms of their emission patterns. The precision of the pulse timing can be astonishing, allowing astronomers to use pulsars as highly accurate cosmic clocks, providing insights into various astrophysical processes and the nature of spacetime itself.

The other options refer to celestial objects that are distinct from pulsars. For example, a black hole is a region of spacetime exhibiting gravitational acceleration so strong that nothing can escape from it, which is fundamentally different from a pulsar. Dim red giants are evolved stars in a different stage of stellar evolution, while binary star systems consist of two stars orbiting each