collapsar

[ kuh-lap-sahr ]

noun

, Astronomy.

1. (formerly) a gravitationally collapsed star.

collapsar

/ kɒˈlæpsɑː /

noun

1. astronomy a collapsed star, either a white dwarf, neutron star, or black hole

Word History and Origins

Origin of collapsar¹

1970–75; collapse + -ar, extracted from pulsar, quasar, etc.

Example Sentences

To the surprise of team members, given BOAT’s brightness, the remnants of the collapsar did not look exceptionally large.

From Science Magazine

The team modeled how the r-process should affect the shape of a collapsar’s light curve—how its brightness changes over time—then compared the model with the observed light curves from the 25 supernovae.

From Science Magazine

As theorists expected, what powered the burst was a type of supernova called a collapsar: a massive, rapidly rotating star that ran out of fuel and collapsed, blasting its outer layers into space before disappearing into a black hole.

From Science Magazine

A new study by Siegel, Barnes, and Metzger published in Nature suggests that an even rarer astrophysical event - the 'collapsar' - might actually fit the bill for dominating r-process element production.

From Scientific American

A collapsar is a rapidly spinning massive star that winds up collapsing and creating a supernova.

From Scientific American