Atoms As Big As Mountains — Neutron Stars Explained
Neutron Stars are some of the strangest things in the Universe. Not quite massive enough to become black holes they are basically atoms as big as mountains with properties so extreme it's...
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Neutron stars are one of the most extreme things in the universe.They’re like giant atom cores.Kilometers in diameter, unbelievably dense and violent.But how can something like this even exist?The life of a star is dominated by two forces being in balance.Its own gravity and the radiation pressure of its fusion reaction.In the core of stars, hydrogen is fused into helium.Eventually, the hydrogen in the core is exhausted.If the star is massive enough, helium is now fused into carbon.The cores of these massive stars become layered like onions,as heavier and heavier atomic nuclei build up at the center.Carbon is fused into neon, which leads to oxygen, which leads to silicon.Eventually, the fusion reaction hits iron, which cannot fuse into another element.When the fusion st...
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Neutron stars are one of the most extreme things in the universe.They’re like giant atom cores.Kilometers in diameter, unbelievably dense and violent.But how can something like this even exist?The life of a star is dominated by two forces being in balance.Its own gravity and the radiation pressure of its fusion reaction.In the core of stars, hydrogen is fused into helium.Eventually, the hydrogen in the core is exhausted.If the star is massive enough, helium is now fused into carbon.The cores of these massive stars become layered like onions,as heavier and heavier atomic nuclei build up at the center.Carbon is fused into neon, which leads to oxygen, which leads to silicon.Eventually, the fusion reaction hits iron, which cannot fuse into another element.When the fusion st...
