By Sakshi Sah
Published Jan 19, 2025

Hindustan Times
Trending

Photo Credit: NASA

What is a neutron star? 6 amazing NASA facts you might not know

Neutron stars are incredibly dense remnants of stars that exploded in a supernova.

They offer a glimpse into extreme conditions that we can’t study on Earth.

When a massive star runs out of fuel, it collapses and explodes in a supernova. If the star is 7 to 19 times the mass of our Sun, it leaves behind a neutron star.

If the original star’s mass is over 20 times that of the Sun, it becomes a black hole instead.

Neutron stars are the densest objects we can observe directly. 

Some neutron stars, called pulsars, spin incredibly fast. The fastest known pulsar, PSR J1748-2446ad, spins 43,000 times per minute, faster than a blender.

Pulsars are rapidly rotating neutron stars that emit radio pulses at regular intervals.

Neutron stars have magnetic fields billions of times stronger than Earth.

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