Crab Pulsar Timing: Monthly Ephemeris from 1982 to Present

The CRABTIME database contains the Crab Pulsar Monthly Ephemeris covering the period from February 15, 1982 (MJD=45015) to near the present. It was created by Dr. Andrew Lyne and collaborators at Jodrell Bank Observatory and is maintained and updated by NASA's HEASARC. The database includes calculated parameters like pulsar period and its first derivative.

Use Cases

• Modeling pulsar spin-down and timing irregularities based on monthly ephemeris data.
• Calibrating observational instruments using the provided pulsar position coordinates.
• Analyzing long-term pulsar period evolution based on the calculated period and its first derivative.
• Cross-referencing timing data with other astronomical observations of the Crab Nebula.

Strengths

• Covers a long temporal range from 1982 to near the present.
• Includes calculated parameters (period, first derivative) not in the original tables.
• Maintained by NASA HEASARC and updated within one week of source changes.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

Jodrell Bank Observatory (original), NASA HEASARC (maintained version).

Collection Method

Observational data from Jodrell Bank, processed and augmented by HEASARC.

Time Range

From February 15, 1982 (MJD=45015) to near the present.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 19:50:22.066025; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Data is for the Crab Pulsar, located at specified celestial coordinates.