BIG FIND FOR STARGAZERS.

Byline: By RON MOORE

SCIENTISTS in Glasgow have made a massive scientific discovery - 6,500 light years from Earth.

They have found that the Crab Pulsar - a rotating neutron star at the heart of the Crab Nebula, loved by stargazers around the world - is shedding energy at an alarming rate.

As it is sending huge amounts of radiation into space, it is also expected to generate gravitational waves. But, researchers at the University of Glasgow have found only a fraction of the star's energy loss is caused by this. The waves predicted by Einstein's general theory of relativity are seen as the holy grail of physics.

Glasgow University's Graham Woan, who co-led the group with Michael Landry of Hanford Observatory, said: "The Crab is relatively young and is expected to be less symmetrical than most, which means it could generate more gravitational waves." The results from the LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) team is a big breakthrough for science. Professor Keith Mason, chief executive of the Science and Technology Facilities Council, said: "This is an exciting result which adds to LIGO's continuing success."

CAPTION(S):

ENERGY The Crab