Neutron Stars
What are neutron stars composed of?
A core of mostly neutrons with some free protons and electrons floating around. It also has a crust of highly-compressed regular matter.
What does the rapid rotation of a neutron star create?
A magnetic field
How strong is the gravity of a neutron star?
About 100,000,000,000 times that of Earth
Who discovered pulsars?
Jocelyn Bell in 1967
What are pulsars?
Neutron stars that give off rapidly rotating beams of light energy that pass by observers at regular intervals.
What are magnetars?
Neutron stars with incredibly strong magnetic fields -- the most magnetic objects in the universe.
What do astronomers call all of the material that makes up a neutron star?
Neutronium
Are all neutron stars pulsars?
No. While all neutron stars give off of beams of light aligned with their magnetic field, only those neutron stars whose beams point in a direction where they can be detected by Earth are pulsars.
What is the diameter of a neutron star?
Only about 20 km.
What are millisecond pulsars?
Pulsars that exist in binary star systems that steal mass and energy from the other star. This causes them to rotate extremely fast.
How were the neutrons formed?
The density of the core that remained after a supernova has such strong gravity that it smashed protons and electrons together, forming neutrons
What would happen to a human on the surface of a neutron star?
They would be flattened to only a few atoms thick and weigh hundreds of trillions of pounds
How does a neutron star rotate? Why?
Very rapidly because the incredible density amplifies centrifugal force (like an ice skater)
How do neutron stars form?
When a star with a mass of 8 times to 20 times that of the Sun dies, it ejects its matter into space in a supernova. A core is left behind that has a mass of about 1.4 times that of the Sun.
What is a starquake?
When the magnetic field of a magnetar or neutron star slips, it can cause the compressed crust of the star to shatter, releasing energy and creating a magnetic storm.