Neutron star

Hey guys!

Welcome back to AstroMe!

Ready for another enthralling space adventure? Pack your bags and let’s travel to see and learn about one of the strangest objects in this universe. We're off! 

If a star dies, it can become a white hole, black hole, or neutron star depending on its mass. We have already learned about black holes.  (Don't know anything about this yet?  check out this link Black holes) 

 

Now let's learn about Neutron stars, 

A neutron star is formed when a star with a mass of Chandrasekhar limit dies. Initially, they are formed through a supernova explosion. They rotate so fast that they produce so much magnetic energy. This energy can be the strongest one found in the entire universe.

Protons and electrons combine in the explosion to form neutrons, and also some protons are left over. Protons and neutrons don't like to be with each other so they move apart. But the pressure causes them to attract and when it happens Neutron star is formed.  So, we know what the neutron stars are made up of. 

Not to forget they are very dense and strong. In fact, they are the densest object in the universe which is not a black holes. 

Neutron stars are made up of layers like all planet or star does, 

1st layer	Atmosphere
2nd layer	Crust
3rd layer	Core

                                             

It's in the 2nd and 3rd layer things get a little weird and Interesting.

 

So, let's move on to the 2nd layer of a neutron star, the crust. As we have already seen, the composition of a neutron star this layer consists of protons, neutrons as well as electrons moving here and there. 

 

As we travel deeper and deeper in this layer the gravitational force becomes intense causing the neutrons and protons to attract even though they don’t want to. When they attract, they form unstructured objects and these are known as Nuclear Pasta. 

 

Wondering why such a weird name? 

 

It is just said by the scientist that these objects represent the shape of different types of pasta like lasagna, spaghetti, etc. 

Types of nuclear pasta

 Don't ever try to underestimate these objects. They can be small but so dense, that a cm can weigh a city!

 

Not only this they also hold a very prestigious title. Want to know what? They are the strongest material in the universe. They can have the power of hundreds of steels!

 

Now coming to the core, it is below the crust just think of how much force this layer gets. The protons and neutrons are so closed that they just combine to form quarks.

 

 Protons and neutrons consist of smaller particles known as quarks. Their properties are unknown from what we know; they are very hot, dangerous, and have some weird unknown properties that can violate basic physical laws. 

 

Now quarks together form quark stars and with high pressure they form strange quarks which are again very strong and powerful. 

 

Together they form strange matters. They are very dangerous, powerful, and stable.

 

PROTONS +NEUTRONS → QUARKS → QUARK STAR →STRANGE QUARKS→ STRANGE MATTER. 

Strange matters are very dangerous. If it touches an object, it completely turns into one. We don't need to worry about them because they are found only in a neutron star. But if two neutron stars combine there is a possibility that a large number of particles escape but even if it, does it's mostly the 2nd layer of the crust.

 

There is a very rare possibility for a strange matter to escape but if they manage to, they just move continuously in empty space until they reach a place, a planet, or a star. And when it touches the surface of the object it completely turns that into a strange matter.

 

 Just think what if a strange matter falls or just glides through the earth? I can’t imagine it!

 

Meet you in my next post. in that, we will see about classifications of a neutron star.

 

If you have not checked out my previous post about black holes, click on this link AstroMe.

 Bye for now!