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neutron star
noun
- an extremely dense, compact star composed primarily of neutrons, especially the collapsed core of a supernova.
neutron star
noun
- a star that has collapsed under its own gravity to a diameter of about 10 to 15 km. It is composed mostly of neutrons, has a mass of between 1.4 and about 3 times that of the sun, and a density in excess of 10 17kilograms per cubic metre
neutron star
- A celestial object consisting of an extremely dense mass of neutrons, formed at the core of a supernova, where electrons and nuclei are compressed together so intensely by the force of gravity that protons and electrons merge together into neutrons. Though their mass is close to that of the Sun, the density of neutron stars is much higher—about 3 × 10 11 kilograms per cubic centimeter (by comparison, the density of steel is 7.7 grams per cubic centimeter). Neutron stars are typically about 10 km across, and rotate very rapidly. Due to the spinning of electrically charged protons and electrons at their surfaces, their rotation gives rise to strong magnetic fields. The existence of neutron stars was predicted in the 1930s but was not confirmed until the discovery of the first pulsar in 1967.
- See more at pulsar
Word History and Origins
Origin of neutron star1
Example Sentences
Then one of these unusual neutron stars flashed in a nearby galaxy.
In 1974, radio astronomers Russell Hulse and Joseph Taylor spotted a neutron star orbiting a dense companion.
At first, astronomers thought that the blast was a type of cataclysmic explosion called a short gamma-ray burst, or GRB, which are typically caused by colliding neutron stars or other destructive cosmic events.
Astronomers concluded that a highly magnetized neutron star called a magnetar was behind the phenomenon.
These included spinning neutron stars, known as called pulsars.
While every neutron star has an intense magnetic field, the ones known as magnetars are exceptional.
The pulses are from a beam of light produced by the intense magnetic field, which sweeps across Earth as the neutron star rotates.
That extra spin in the progenitor star might have been enough to give the neutron star more magnetic power, making it a magnetar.
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