Consider these cosmic phenomena:
1. Black holes emit X-rays directly from their event horizon
2. Pulsars are rapidly rotating neutron stars.
Which of the above is/are correct?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
The correct answer is option 2 i.e. Statement 2 only.
Statement 1 is incorrect because black holes themselves emit nothing, not even X-rays, as their gravity prevents light from escaping. X-rays actually originate from the accretion disk, where gas and dust are heated to millions of degrees as they spiral inward. Statement 2 is correct; pulsars are highly magnetized, rotating neutron stars that emit beams of electromagnetic radiation. We observe them as "pulses" when these beams sweep across Earth, much like a cosmic lighthouse.