neutron star

American  

noun

1. an extremely dense, compact star composed primarily of neutrons, especially the collapsed core of a supernova.

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neutron star British  

noun

1. 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 ¹⁷ kilograms per cubic metre

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neutron star Scientific  

1. 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.

2. See more at pulsar

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neutron star Cultural  

1. A star about the size of the Earth, made almost entirely of neutrons. It is the end product of the evolution of some stars larger than the sun.

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Etymology

Origin of neutron star

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

neutron star

A team of scientists studied a magnetar, a rare kind of neutron star with some of the strongest magnetic fields known in the Universe.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026

Created by an international team at GSI/FAIR, the machine learning model allows scientists to simulate the complex nuclear reactions that occur during neutron star mergers and other violent stellar events far more efficiently than before.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 8, 2026

Because this disk was likely tilted relative to the magnetar's spin, Einstein's theory predicts that the rapidly spinning neutron star would drag the surrounding fabric of space-time with it, producing a phenomenon called Lense-Thirring precession.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 6, 2026

Depending on conditions, the collapse can leave behind either a neutron star or a black hole.

From Science Daily ● May 27, 2026

The awesome power of the neutron star is lurking in the nucleus of every atom, hidden in every teacup and dormouse, every breath of air, every apple pie.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan