Neutron Stars:
Astronomers recently discovered ten strange dead stars, or “neutron stars,” lurking near the heart of the Milky Way.
- Neutron Stars are extremely dense and compact celestial objects formed when a massive star runs out of fuel and collapses.
- The very central region of the star, ‘the core’, collapses, crushing together every proton and electron into a neutron.
- If the core of the collapsing star is between about 1 and 3 solar masses, these newly created neutrons can stop the collapse, leaving behind a neutron star. (Stars with higher masses will continue to collapse into stellar-mass black holes).
- Since neutron stars began their existence as stars, they are scattered throughout the galaxy in the same places where we find stars.
- And like stars, they can be found by themselves or in binary systems with a companion.
- Neutron stars are typically about 20 km (12 miles) in diameter.
- Their masses range between 1.18 and 1.97 times that of the Sun, but most are 1.35 times that of the Sun.
- Many neutron stars are likely undetectable because they simply do not emit enough radiation.
- Most neutron stars are observed as pulsars.
- Pulsars are rotating neutron stars observed to have pulses of radiation at very regular intervals that typically range from milliseconds to seconds.
- Pulsars have very strong magnetic fields, which funnel jets of particles out along the two magnetic poles.
- These accelerated particles produce very powerful beams of light.
- Neutron stars are also seen as objects called rotating radio transients (RRATs) and as magnetars.
