Astronomy Stack Exchange
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Questions tagged [neutron-star]

Questions regarding a degenerate star that is mainly composed of neutrons.

A neutron star is a type of stellar remnant resulting from the gravitational collapse of a massive star during a supernova event. They are mainly composed of neutrons because, as the pressure increases during the collapse of the star, electrons get closer to nuclei and eventually turn protons into neutrons by a beta reaction.

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Which atom is a Neutron star made of?

I understood that everything was made of Atoms. An atom is the smallest constituent unit of ordinary matter that has the properties of a chemical element. Every solid, liquid, gas, and plasma is composed of neutral or ionized atoms However…
James Wood
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Is it possible to break apart a neutron star?

I was inspired by this question on Physics, as well as this question right here on Astronomy. Neutron stars are tightly bound together as neutron degenerate matter. They're very massive and have a strong gravitational field. Is it possible to break…
HDE 226868
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Is it possible neutron stars are actual elements?

As you go up the periodic table (more protons), the ratio of neutrons to protons steadily increases as well. Are we sure there are absolutely no protons and electrons in a neutron star, or could there be so much more neutrons that we cannot measure…
fillthinehornwithoilandgo
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Do all neutron stars spin?

I know that some of them are pulsars and pulsars spin very fast, but do all of the neutron stars spin? I would think that they would because of conservation of momentum, but I'm really just not sure.
matryoshka
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Have we observed any static neutron stars?

Neutron stars are one type of remnant of a giant star's core after its collapse. Neutron stars tend to rotate at very high speed and the mismatch between its axis of rotation and magnetic pole make it a "pulsar". Over time, the rotational energy is…
Kavin Ishwaran
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What happens over time as a neutron star cools?

My understanding of a white dwarf star is that, although it hasn't happened yet due to the age of the universe, eventually as it loses energy due to radiating heat and tidal forces, it will cool to become a black dwarf - essentially a black ball of…
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Is starquake unique to neutron star?

I read from somewhere that astronomer use X-ray to observe the "shaking" not to be confused with wobbling of a distant neutron star, I think it is similar to what geologist using microphone to detecting sound wave (vibration) inside the earth (no…
user6760
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How do we know how fast the surface of a neutron star is rotating?

I understand that we can count pulses in time, but how do we know that the magnetosphere is rotating along with the surface of a neutron star? Can we measure the rotation of a neutron star in any other way like red-blue shifts? It should be pretty…
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Origin of the magnetic field of neutron stars

It seems a little counter intuitive that neutron stars possess such strong magnetic fields. Its electric charge is presumably zero, so however fast it spins, it shouldn't generate any magnetic field. Or is it due to the electric charges of quarks or…
ashpool
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No hair and neutron stars

I know black holes can be described by only a few parameters. Given the extreme conditions within a neutron star, how much hair does it have, ie. how much of the original star parameters and composition (e.g. metallicity) affects the features of a…
tuomas
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Lightest Neutron Star ever observed?

Fundamentally, my question is, is this a real and confirmed observation? Or is there a too-high margin of error for now? Inspirational discoveries, Lightest neutron star ever discovered might include compressed quarks A 0.77 solar mass neutron…
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Inner Workings of Neutron Stars

What are future steps that can be taken in order to learn more about the inner workings of a Neutron Star such as "nuclear pasta" and the materials in the inner core?
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What lies at the center of a neutron star if any?

What does the current theory tell us about what is going on at the core of a neutron star, I'm expecting a black hole hopefully I won't be disappointed!
user6760
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According to this article the max mass of a non-spinning neutron star is around 2.5 solar masses. What is defined as a non-rotating neutron star?

This is the article as mentioned above: The Maximum Mass of a Neutron Star is 2.25 Solar Masses To repeat, according to this article, the maximum mass of a non-rotating neutron star is around 2.5-3 solar masses. What is defined as a non-rotating…
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How does a neutron star emitting magnetic-dipole radiation lose angular momentum?

Is the ultimate reason that the neutron star loses angular momentum that the magnetic-dipole radiation is not spherically symmetric and photons have momentum? Just for the loss of angular momentum, particles emitted from the neutron star surface are…
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