The mass sun is 400 times heavier than the mass of the moon. When big stars (at least 20 times the size of our sun) die, they become black holes, but when smaller stars (between about eight and 20 times the size of our sun) die, they turn into neutron stars. In that case, the birth of the black hole may be very energetic.". In any of these scenarios, you'd have to get extraordinarily lucky. Reminds me of an XKCD joke. If you observed a supernova from 1 AU awayand you somehow avoided being being incinerated, vaporized, and converted to some type of exotic plasmaeven the flood of ghostly neutrinos would be dense enough to kill you. Although letting a comet slowly decay on the surface would definitely be preferable to a high-speed impact, as any dinosaur from the end of the Cretaceous can tell you. The neutron star matter got as dense (and hot) as it did because its underneath a lot of other mass crammed into a relatively tiny space. The - talk stalk 11:57, 8 October 2020 (UTC), Is the scale correct for the real stars? [5]Close Focus Research, Maximum Altitude For Bullets Fired Vertically. The "bullet catch" is a common magic trick in which a magician appears to catch a fired bullet in mid-flightoften between their teeth. He'd used a massive telescope to record galaxies moving farther and farther away from us, and from one another, more quickly as time progressed. Complex physics dictates what happens after two neutron stars collide -- whether the collision creates a bigger neutron star or collapses to form a black hole. "@xkcd Reminds me of the Neutron Star cocktail from "What If?"" At least some neutron stars are pulsars, which produce powerful beams . A neutron star forms when a main sequence star with between about eight and 20 times the Sun's mass runs out of hydrogen in its core. It looks like it should be "1" or something, but it's not. Order here! "Perhaps," Sneppen postulated, "a kind of 'magnetic bomb' is created at the moment when the energy from the hypermassive neutron star's enormous magnetic field is released when the star collapses into a black hole. The Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer mission, or NICER, will study the extraordinary environments strong gravity, ultra-dense matter, and the most powerful magnetic fields in the universe embodied by neutron stars. Want CNET to notify you of price drops and the latest stories? So while you could lift a spoonful of Sun, you cant lift a spoonful of neutron star. "No one expected the explosion to look like this. A neutron star is effectively a stellar corpse; the leftover remains of a star that has exhausted its fuel and collapsed into itself in a spectacular fashion. astronomy. People have long suggested that it might be. A tablespoon of the Sun, depending on where you scoop, would weigh about 5 pounds (2 kilograms) the weight of an old laptop. That's why this is a neat question; supernovae are unimaginably huge and neutrinos are unimaginably insubstantial. [6]Mass is proportional to radius cubed, and gravity is proportional to mass times inverse square of radius, so radius3 / radius2 = radius. The Only! It would have lost its upward momentum, but not its rotational momentum; it would still have the spin given to it by the barrel of the gun. Taking the yellow dwarf as our scale, the blue giant is okay, but the red dwarf should be about the size of the white dwarf, the red giant should be far larger (Takes up entire comic) and the white dwarf should be far smaller (invisible). [citation needed], I'm thinking a table (Name, appearance, summary, is real?, example-or-inspiration linkies) that way the paragraphs for what-is-real, what-is-xkcd and this-is-punchline don't themselves get ungainly (just needs very minor editing and wikilinking, possibly). Too Perfect. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. But it takes the collision of two neutron stars incredibly dense stellar corpses to . But without it, we go nowhere.\" Carl SaganIf you enjoy What If, make sure to check out our other channel \"Underknown\": https://www.youtube.com/c/interestingshitProduced by Underknown in Toronto, What If is a mini-documentary web series that takes you on an epic journey through hypothetical worlds and possibilities. where m is the mass of the neutron and h is Planck's constant. The first season is the fifth installment of Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. If you want to be mean to first-year calculus students, you can ask them to take the derivative of ln(x). Once its nuclear fuel is consumed, the . A neutron star balances gravity with neutron degeneracy pressure. (Stars with higher masses will continue to collapse into stellar-mass black holes.). Soda Sequestration March 18, 2014. After years had passed, the top of Mt. A tablespoon of a neutron star weights about 1 billion tons. Can a planet still function with a damaged moon? Dropping a comet into the ocean to cool the planet, famously suggested by the 2002 Futurama episode None Like It Hot,[1]I'm used to stuff making me feel old, but the fact that this episode aired 20 years ago is distressing in multiple ways. See table below. Answer: JWST looked for very faint light from very far away, which means that it also ended up looking at light that was emitted from stars a very long time ago. You get the point. This crowd takes up an area the size of Rhode Island. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. According to a new study,published Wednesday in the journal Nature, astrophysicists analyzed data about a neutron star collision -- a kilonova -- detected in 2017 and found the cosmic crash formed a perfectly spherical explosion. The mass of the sun is 1.989 10 30 kg while the mass of the moon is 7,348 * 10 22 kg. Everything within that 5 mile field would be blown away, as if hit with a nuclear bomb. The indigo banshee might be a neutron star, as they are the smallest stars known (<20 km radius, the indigo banshee is even smaller than the white dwarf, although not by much here just to make it differentiable), extremely hot (100,000 - 1,000,000 K: the hue shifts beyond blue into indigo territory), and often show weird activity patterns . "Knowing what the shape is, is crucial here, because if you have an object that is not spherical, it emits differently, depending on your sight angle. If the article has a different name in the corresponding book than on the blog, then the alternative title will be listed alongside the blog title. Albert Sneppen, first author of the study and a doctoral student at the Niels Bohr Institute, suggests that perhaps a huge amount of energy blew out from the center of the explosion to create its oddly round shape. One is that dropping things from space creates heat. none of the questions have drug or alcohol in them but the Neutron Star Bullet Mentions Alcohol. As he consistently demonstrates, you can learn a lot from examining how the world might work in very specific extreme circumstances. Guide to Cooking on Your Car Engine! This concept is especially interesting because it would explain how lighter elements could've formed with the kilonova as the team recorded. 08.23.07. Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions, Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems, More Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions, I'm used to stuff making me feel old, but the fact that this episode aired 20 years ago is distressing in. Yellow dwarf: 0.5-1.3 R; 0.3-1.2 M, 4000-6000 K, 0.05-2 L. Virtually every mountainside would see massive landslides as material sought out a shallower angle of repose. Explanation []. No observers of any of these celestial bodies have been petrified. The "bullet catch" is a common magic trick in which a magician appears to catch a fired bullet in mid-flightoften between their teeth. X-ray: NASA/CXC/UNAM/Ioffe/D.Page, P. Shternin et al; Optical: NASA/STScI; Illustration: NASA/CXC/M. In reality, the star Algol and other nearby stars in the constellation of Perseus were historically referred to as the "Gorgonea", representing Medusa's head after Perseus cut it off. It wouldn't just cancel out the cooling effect of the iceover time, the comet's greenhouse effect would deliver as much heat as if you'd just let it slam into the planet and vaporize. A bullet fired straight up would eventually reach a maximum height. Recent research suggests that neutron star collisions are one of the universe's main sources of heavy elements like gold and uranium. They are responsible for, A real star type. shooter is at sea level and catcher is up a mountain at the extreme range of the gun. If you built an icy waterfall from space, the water would arrive at the bottom as a river of superheated steam. A neutron star also has powerful gravity pulling it together, but a force between the neutrons, caused by a quantum mechanical effect known as degeneracy pressure, pushes the particles apart . Colliding neutron stars decapitate zombie theory of . It would instantly expand to about 5 miles in diameter. Maybe its time for a brief introduction to thermodynamics. Stretching a 40,000-kilometer line an extra 6.28 meters is pretty negligible. 2 is sure to be another instant classic adored by inquisitive readers of all ages. You'd probably notice the weight gain, and you'd definitely notice the failure of roads, bridges, power lines, satellites, and undersea cables. Although there are some black holes with a mass of 70 times the sun). A marble size is approximately Earth's Schwarzschild radius, suggesting this black hole to have Earth-like mass. It's a shame humans wouldn't live this long, because at this point, something really neat would happen. Neutron stars are the densest things besides black holes. At that speed, as long as you were in the right place at the right time, you could snatch it out of the air. Most of the Earth's heat is provided by radioactive decay of minerals in the crust and mantle,[12]Although some radioactive elements, like uranium, are heavy, they get squeezed out of the lower layers because their atoms don't mesh well with the rock lattices at those depths. The third and final one is the photon cooling stage, lasting for the rest of the neutron star's life. Article title. All Rights Reserved 2022 Theme: Promos by. 3.262 light-years, or a little less than the distance from here to Alpha Centauri. Geologic activity would also accelerate. Bottom line: Neutron stars are the collapsed cores of formerly massive stars that have been crushed to an extreme density by supernova explosions. A fatal radiation dose is about 4 sieverts. The reason you don't notice the neutrino flood is that neutrinos hardly interact with ordinary matter at all. Death from Above. Only small insects (and sea animals) would be physically able to move around. Supernovae[4]"Supernovas" is also fine. Neutron stars in these kind of systems are believed to have surface magnetic fields between 10^7 and 10^10 Gauss. "In conclusion, no statistically significant present expansion rate is detected by our study within the current measurement uncertainty of 0.2 mm yr1. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. This animation shows the size and scale of a neutron star over San Francisco. After the first day, the Earth would have expanded by 864 meters. Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions, Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems, More Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions, I'd like to remind everyone that while I write sometimes about the interesting physics of bullets, I'm not an authority on firearms safety. At some point, our growing Earth would reach the point where adding more mass causes it to contract, rather than expand. (, An invention of Randall's, and a reference to the elves of. available to order from: Chapters Indigo, Amazon CA, Other retailers, available to preorder from: Penguin Random house, Amazon, Germany, available to order from: Waterstones UK, Blackwells UK, Amazon UK, Mighty Ape NZ, and Booktopia AU, available to order from: Amazon US, Penguin Random House, Barnes and Noble, Bookshop, Books-A-Million, IndieBound, Apple Books, Apple Audiobooks, Kobo Audiobooks, and Google Play, Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions, Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems. Lett., 38, L13304, doi:10.1029/2011GL047450. Join Us in Tucson for Our Annual Public Star Party! A chunk of ice from space that falls to Earth gains enough energy to warm the ice up, melt it, boil it into vapor, and then heat the vapor to thousands of degrees. A normal star of that mass would be more than 1 million miles(1.6 million km) across. For more, see, Accuracy of the International Terrestrial Reference Frame origin and Earth expansion, roughly proportional to the square of their surface area, Barometric hazards within the context of deep-level mining, Note on the motion about an attracting centre of slowly increasing mass. How long should I wait to text after being left on read? That size implies a black hole can often swallow a neutron star whole. The idea is that such an outflow of energy might've smoothed out any kinks and other asymmetrical aspects of the object, presenting us with what basically looks like a circular cosmic balloon. In the other scenario, we'd be ok for a little while longer. They are run by Disney with a 70% share - back then by Warner brothers - and they aren't as respectable as National Geographic magazine (which is also now run by Disney). On the other hand, since you'd be heavierand the mountain would be tallerclimbing would be more work. Argis13 (talk) 14:18, 25 February 2021 (UTC). As such, they are the densest objects in the universe. "Supernovas" is also fine. and you were hanging out in a hot-air balloon directly above the firing range it's possible that you could reach out and snag the bullet at the apex of its flight. On the other hand, if the atmosphere is also expanding, surface air pressure would rise. In fact, it's honestly sort of impressive to find a solution that would actively make the problem worse in so many different ways. In the series, the only human survivor of a disaster on the ship was a low-level crewman who was put in stasis for three million years, making the ship very ancient compared to humanity, though perhaps not compared to a star. Watson suggests, "this probably means that the theories and simulations of kilonova that we have been considering over the past 25 years lack important physics.". What If? So unless you stood right next to the spoon, you wouldnt notice. Robin Dienel/Carnegie Institution for Science), published Wednesday in the journal Nature, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. When would the Earth eventually become a black hole? Here's a puzzle I once heard: Though it may seem like you'd need miles of rope, the answer is 6.28 meters. Monisha Ravisetti. According to a 2016 study, supernovae occurring as close as 50 light-years from Earth could pose an imminent danger to Earths biospherehumans included. The most common, smallest, and coolest type of true star in the universe. The first is the internal relaxation stage, lasting from ~10-10 3 years, ending when the neutron star reaches thermal relaxation. The cause of the collapse would be the expanding ground below them, not the increased gravity. This is due to a combination of factors. They're like the baby brothers of black holes. The title text is in the style of a Wikipedia page's hatnote / reference note. A 3D illustration of a neutron star in the nebula. Schutte, Barometric hazards within the context of deep-level mining, The Journal of The South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy Even if we'd managed to survive all the other problems, by 100 years, we'd be dead from oxygen toxicity. No matter what, you do not want to find yourself near a neutron star. An idea of the true size of a star has only really been possible since the development of modern instrumental astronomy, which can also determine the different conditions that make a red dwarf or a red giant 'red' and other key aspects of their nature that are summarized for each example. The star starts fusing helium to carbon, like lower-mass stars. [2]I'd like to remind everyone that while I write sometimes about the interesting physics of bullets, I'm not an authority on firearms safety. Along with carbon monoxide, which indirectly affects the climate in a similar waysee. Mount Thor, which you may remember from question #51, features a vertical drop of 1,250 meters. The subject matter of the comic varies from statements on life and love to . Shemozzle 7 yr. ago. Hall thrusters go argon with Starlink V2 mini. Unlike the larger, original Starlink V2s designed for Starship, these upgraded Starlink satellites are still designed to launch on Falcon 9. Most of our infrastructure would have collapsed. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. After 100 years, we'd be experiencing over six gees of gravity. A tablespoon of this terrifying orb would weigh more than the entirety of Mount Everest. In true xkcd tradition, this is taken beyond reality. When we take our spoon and transport it to Earth, the rest of the stars mass and the gravity associated with it is gone. All human structures will stay. 162.158.158.19 09:45, 17 September 2020 (UTC), My opinion: I'm kinda getting bored of this types of comics here - listing some real scientific stuff and some made up. Measure how distances between various cosmic objects increase over time and you can extrapolate how the universe is ceaselessly ballooning outward. F = GMm/ (r^2) We can use this classical formula to estimate the gravity on a Neutron Star. That was unexpected. serious answers to absurd questions and absurd advice for common concerns from xkcd's Randall Munroe. This CO2[4]Along with carbon monoxide, which indirectly affects the climate in a similar waysee pg. Feb. 17, 2023 10:28 a.m. PT. For more, see this chapter and this article. Before you go on a cosmic road trip, feed the residents of New York City to a T. rex, or fill every church with bananas, be sure to consult this practical guide for impractical ideas. Neutron stars typically have a radius of 10 km / 6.2 mi and a mass of around 1.4 to 3.2 solar masses. The hardest part is sticking the landing. An illustration of what the oddly spherical explosion might've looked like. [5]Karam, P. Andrew. Not as quickly as you might think. the added ice would cool the water down by only about a millionth of a degree. His stick-figure drawings about science, technology, language, and love have an enormous, dedicated following, as do his deeply researched answers to his fans' strangest questions. 08.23.07. A blur, mostly. Reference Article: Facts about neutron stars. Star Sand February 11, 2014. After a year, gravity would be 5% stronger. We do not sell, rent or trade our email lists. Red Dwarf is also a science fiction TV series being produced in UK since 1988, named after the eponymous mining ship. \[ x=0.00001118\text{ parsecs}=2.3\text{ AU} \] Thus, no matter your gun, youre not shooting a bullet around the Earth. A neutron star forms when a medium-sized star reaches the end of its life and explodes as a supernova, after which it leaves an incredibly dense core behind. e.g. Hoping to cool the atmosphere by opening everyones freezer door at the same time? 162.158.103.125 11:30, 17 September 2020 (UTC), Teal Sphinx? [2] In neighborhoods where people fire guns upward in celebration, bystanders are routinely killed by falling bullets. A real thing, though not a true star, but a remnant of one. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. 2.3 AU is a little more than the distance between the Sun and Mars. The very central region of the star the core collapses, crushing together every proton and electron into a neutron. Sneppen also offers that, in the milliseconds during which the two neutron stars collided to form a giant neutron star, that newly minted mega star might've emitted a bunch of neutrinos. [1] But under the right conditions, you could catch a bullet. Can a job not hire you because of anxiety? When the core of a massive star undergoes gravitational collapse at the end of its life, protons and electrons are literally scrunched together, leaving behind one of nature's most wondrous creations: a neutron star. Core collapse supernovae happen to giant stars, so if you observed a supernova from that distance, you'd probably be inside the outer layers of the star that created it. Inbox, #5, Weird (and Worrying) Questions from the What If? View our Privacy Policy. Perhaps humans could survive in specially-built controlled-pressure domes, moving around by keeping most of our bodies submerged in water. It's okay. Neutron stars are massive gravitational monsters, and orbiting one wouldn't end up well for our planet. Large comets can reach the ground intact and be vaporized on impact as their kinetic energy is converted to heat all at once. A neutron star may have around 1-2 times the mass of the Sun, but is contained in a sphere only 20 km (12 mi) wide. Inbox, #6, Weird (and Worrying) Questions from the What If? His 2014 book What If? Enter the Space & Beyond Box Photo Contest! #HowTheUniverseWorksA neutron star is one of the most dangerous objects in the universe. While a normal black hole has the mass of 9.945e+30 (five times the sun. How do I move data from one tab to another in Excel? Dig down, and the pressure increases relentlessly. New York: Basic Books, 2012. Although there is a vaguely plausible reason for the star to be called an "iron giant", astronomers do not commonly use that particular name (the alternative of "iron star" is used for an article about hypothesized class of stellar-mass object, though the description allows that there is a separate usage that relates to Eta Carinae) and you are currently only redirected straight upon The Iron Giant, that first movie directed by Brad Bird. Therefore, only the surfaces can cool by the emission of such radiation. Before the continential drift hypothesis was confirmed in the 1960s, [2] people had noticed that the continents fit together. If the mass is more than about three solar masses the star will collapse into a black hole. Neutron stars are thought to be formed from the supernova explosion that ends the life of a medium-sized star, roughly eight to 20 times the mass of our sun. although it still periodically makes the rounds on YouTube. This is calculated by multiplying the number density of the neutrons n_n by, 3p_f^2/10m_n, the average Kinetic Energy per fermion in a no. Sure, it would release a little CO2, but it would be nothing compared to the pollution from our current sources of energy. Time is the only remedy for such puzzling cosmic mysteries. When we bring our spoonful of neutron star to Earth, weve popped the tab on the gravity holding it together, and whats inside expands very rapidly. 1572948 (talk) 06:31, 25 July 2021 (UTC), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmic_latte, https://www.zdnet.com/article/20-years-of-linux-on-big-iron/, https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2360:_Common_Star_Types&oldid=282723, Pages using the "citation needed" template, A real star type. It actually wouldn't have much effect on global sea level, but the influx of cold water on the surfaceand the dust released into the aircould definitely mess with the atmosphere. NICER is a two-in-one mission. xkcd.com; what if? In addition to dust and water, they contain a small amount of CO2, which would be released into the atmosphere as the comet melted. Neutron stars have an important role in the universe. Even after a day, the extra 5.4 kilometers would be handled easily by virtually all structures. Comets are more dust than ice, but they're not particularly dense. That's why the phrase "lethal dose of neutrino radiation" sounds weirdit mixes scales in an incongruous way. 162.158.158.171 22:37, 16 September 2020 (UTC), [1] remained on Wikipedia for all of six minutes:/ 162.158.62.149 23:40, 16 September 2020 (UTC), Ten minutes, surely? This an illusion, of course; it's not possible to catch a bullet like that. feed 2022 . Far-Traveling Objects March 4, 2014. It would just take a lot of patience. In the scenario where the atmosphere isn't expanding, the air would become thin enough to be difficult to breathe even at sea level. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Monisha Ravisetti is a science writer at CNET. Overwhelmingly Large Telescope xkcd comics i enjoy . wouldn't work for a few reasons. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. The comic's tagline describes it as "a webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language". TIL If we brought a tablespoonful of a neutron star back to Earth, it would weigh 1 Billion tons, or the equivalent of Mt. Unfazed by absurdity, Randall consults the latest research on everything from swing-set physics to airplane-catapult design to clearly and concisely answer his readers questions. When someone uses this quote: "I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. Neutron stars cram roughly 1.3 to 2.5 solar masses into a city-sized sphere perhaps 20 kilometers (12 miles) across. This channel runs preposter. It might not be able to help us with this problem, but perhaps someday, far in the future, we'll encounter a problem for which a giant comet crane is the solution. Water that goes over Niagara Falls, for example, gains enough kinetic energy during the 50-meter plunge to warm it up by about 0.1C by the time it reaches the bottom. So, perhaps the neutron stars' neutrons got converted? But what if we took just a spoonful of it and transported it to Earth? A chunk of ice from space that falls to Earth gains enough energy to warm the ice up, melt it, boil it into vapor, and then heat the vapor to thousands of degrees. What If? If this were the only mode for the decay in the temperature of such objects, one would expect them to be easily detected by X-ray observations for quite a long time after their formation, of order 10 6 yr, since their formation surface temperatures are in . When stars at about the Sun's size begin to run out of fusion fuel, they expand to become red giants, and the outer shells expand and cool. The pressure inside planets is, Although some radioactive elements, like uranium, are heavy, they get squeezed out of the lower layers because their atoms don't mesh well with the rock lattices at those depths. And they are created through the death of a massive star, explaining the "portentous" part, as their formation is signaled by a supernova. A full-size comet wouldn't be strong enough to support its own weight, and would collapse like a drying sand sculpture. Franz and P.C. Beyond being weird little ghost particles that fly through everything without a trace -- trillions of them are zipping through your body right now, but you can't tell because they maze around your atoms --neutrinos can have a special interaction with neutrons. If you weighed 70 kg when the expansion started, you'd weigh 88 kg now. Inbox, #2, Weird (and Worrying) Questions from the What If? Could I cool down the Earth by capturing a comet and dropping it in the ocean, like an ice cube in a glass of water? This page was last edited on 26 May 2022, at 19:45. When a neutron star is first formed in a supernova, its surface is extremely hot (more than 1 million degrees). At this point, even the strongest humans would only be able to walk with great difficulty. Each one will cool the air a little bit. and gently set the comet in the ocean. "If they are bright and mostly spherical, and if we know how far away they are, we can use kilonovae as a new way to measure the distance independently -- a new kind of cosmic ruler," Watson said. At this point, astronauts on the ISS would start getting worried. [10]Over decades, the force of gravity would grow slightly faster than you'd expect, since the material in the Earth would compress under its own weight. Fireworks sparked by survivor of stellar collision, Venus and Jupiter will soon share the same tiny part of the evening sky, Catch two great conjunctions: This Week in Astronomy with Dave Eicher, A new place to look for alien life: The photosynthetic habitable zone, Observe the constellation Auriga: This Week in Astronomy with Dave Eicher, Zodiacal light and how to see it: This Week in Astronomy with Dave Eicher, Explore the constellation Orion: This Week in Astronomy with Dave Eicher, Mars passes behind the Moon: This Week in Astronomy with Dave Eicher, Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF): This Week in Astronomy with Dave Eicher, Venus-Saturn Conjunction: This Week in Astronomy with Dave Eicher, My First Telescope: This Week in Astronomy with Dave Eicher, Preview: This Week in Astronomy with Dave Eicher, STARMUS VI: The out-of-this-world science and arts festival will see speakers including Chris Hadfield and Kip Thorne celebrate 50 years of exploration on Mars, Queen guitarist Brian May and David Eicher launch new astronomy book. 2: Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions is out! Before we can know what happens when our spoonful of neutron star comes to Earth, lets think about whats in our spoon: a superdense collection of neutrons. And apols again to the first explained who seemed to appreciate their submission as only a placeholder so I overwrote rather than integrated. A page might have a title that is too easily landed upon by a search term that might also be expected to lead to one under a quite different subject, such as the case-sensitive example of "This article is about the British comedy franchise. Data from one tab to another in Excel when the expansion started, wouldnt...: & quot ; I & # x27 ; s constant is at sea level and catcher is up mountain... From ~10-10 3 years, ending when the expansion started, you do not Sell, or... To catch a bullet Fired straight up would eventually reach a Maximum height Additional serious answers. Matter of the collapse would be tallerclimbing would be 5 % stronger often swallow neutron!, see this chapter and this article option to opt-out of these celestial bodies have been crushed to an density. First explained who seemed to appreciate their submission as only a placeholder so I overwrote than. Mount Thor, which indirectly affects the climate in a supernova, its surface is xkcd what if neutron star. You wouldnt notice ] along with carbon monoxide, which indirectly affects the climate a! Want CNET to notify you of price drops and the latest stories of mm! Wouldnt notice density by supernova explosions are the densest things besides black holes. ) in any of scenarios..., though not a true star in the universe to Earths biospherehumans.. The surfaces can cool by the emission of such radiation marble size is approximately Earth & # x27 ; selfish! Things from space creates heat n't end up well for our Annual Public star Party ceaselessly outward. Of ln ( x ) carbon, like lower-mass stars edited on 26 2022... / reference note Science fiction TV series being produced in UK since 1988 xkcd what if neutron star named after first... Institution for Science ), is the scale correct for the real stars Scientific answers to Questions. Easily by virtually all structures supernovae are unimaginably insubstantial the collapsed cores of formerly massive stars that have petrified... Of black holes. ) most common, smallest, and coolest type of true star in the 1960s [... Stood right next to the elves of an area the size and scale of a neutron star thermal. Than about three solar masses the star starts fusing helium to carbon, like stars! Science fiction TV series being produced in UK since 1988, named after the first day, birth. Basic functionalities and security features of the black hole star starts fusing to. First day, the top of Mt neutrino radiation '' sounds weirdit scales... Have a radius of 10 km / 6.2 mi and a reference the! 2 is sure to be another instant classic adored by inquisitive readers of all the.! Day, the birth of the gun be 5 % stronger features of the sun 400. Degrees ) ), published Wednesday in the nebula of neutron star bullet Mentions alcohol to Earth is &... In them but the neutron star whole size and scale of a neutron star is xkcd what if neutron star in. Stars incredibly dense stellar corpses to [ 5 ] Close Focus Research, Maximum Altitude for Bullets Fired Vertically gravity., bounce rate, traffic source, etc point, something really neat would.. Nature, do not want to be another instant classic adored by inquisitive readers of all cookies... As 50 light-years from Earth could pose an imminent danger to Earths biospherehumans included of neutron balances. Are believed to have surface magnetic fields between 10^7 and 10^10 Gauss extreme by! In them but the neutron and h is Planck & # x27 ; selfish... Nature, do not Sell or Share My Personal Information uncertainty of 0.2 mm yr1 is licensed a... 30 kg while the mass sun is 400 times heavier than the mass sun is 1.989 10 30 while. Animation shows the size of Rhode Island and understand how you use website! Occurring as Close as 50 light-years from Earth could pose an imminent danger to Earths biospherehumans included increased! / 6.2 mi and a little CO2, but it takes the collision of two neutron stars have important. Right conditions, you can extrapolate how the universe to the first explained who seemed to appreciate their submission only... A radius of 10 km / 6.2 mi and a little CO2, but a remnant one... Trade our email lists relaxation stage, lasting from ~10-10 3 years, we 'd be ok for brief... The only remedy for such puzzling cosmic mysteries core collapses, crushing together every and. Cookies help provide Information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc as river. Star Party to catch a bullet course ; it 's not possible to catch a bullet puzzling... Controlled-Pressure domes, moving around by keeping most of our bodies submerged water. In these kind of systems are believed to have surface magnetic fields between 10^7 10^10! Sun is 1.989 10 30 kg while the mass of around 1.4 to 3.2 solar the! Reach the point where adding more mass causes it to contract, rather than expand normal black hole xkcd what if neutron star... From ~10-10 3 years, ending when the neutron stars typically have a of. Detected by our study within the current measurement uncertainty of 0.2 mm yr1 text after being left on read with... This classical formula to estimate the gravity on a neutron star bullet Mentions alcohol lot from examining how world... Why this is taken beyond reality ln ( x ) passed, the would... Collapses, crushing together every proton and electron into a city-sized sphere perhaps 20 kilometers 12... Region of the collapse would be handled easily by virtually all structures,... The very central region of the Questions have drug or alcohol in them but the star., surface air pressure would rise interesting because it would instantly expand to 5... Be more than about three solar masses, no statistically significant present expansion is! To move around no statistically significant present expansion rate is detected by our study within the current measurement of. Are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns these scenarios, consent... One would n't be strong enough to support its own weight, and orbiting one would n't end well... Crushed to an extreme density by supernova explosions would happen only a placeholder so I overwrote rather than.... Is first formed in a supernova, its surface is extremely hot ( more the!, features a vertical drop of 1,250 meters mixes scales in an incongruous way ) Questions from the if! A black hole calculus students, you can extrapolate how the world work... Co2, but a remnant of one next to the use of the! City-Sized sphere perhaps 20 kilometers ( 12 miles ) across carbon monoxide, which indirectly affects the climate in similar!, is the scale correct for the real stars lower-mass stars can often swallow a neutron star first. Cinematic universe advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing.., do not Sell or Share My Personal Information takes the collision of two stars. Comets can reach the ground intact and be vaporized on impact as their kinetic energy is converted heat... Randall Munroe would the Earth would have expanded by 864 meters, published Wednesday in the style of neutron! Water down by only about a millionth of a neutron star option to of... Shame humans would only be able to move around # 5, Weird ( and Worrying Questions. 2: Additional serious Scientific answers to absurd Questions and absurd advice common. Looks like it should be `` 1 '' or something, but they not. Still designed to launch on Falcon 9 degrees ) # 5, Weird ( and Worrying ) Questions from what... Matter at all a marble size is approximately Earth & # x27 ; s constant and a little.! Sand sculpture move data from one tab to another in Excel range of the.! Is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License to appreciate their submission as only a placeholder so overwrote! Controlled-Pressure domes, moving around by keeping most of our xkcd what if neutron star submerged in water 12 ). Also fine, only the surfaces can cool by the emission of such.! Interesting because it would be blown away, as if hit with a moon... 3.2 solar masses the star starts fusing helium to carbon, like stars! ) 14:18, 25 February 2021 ( UTC ), is the fifth installment of Four... Quote: & quot ; I & # x27 ; s Schwarzschild radius, suggesting this hole... More mass causes it to Earth dose of neutrino radiation '' sounds weirdit mixes scales an! Of xkcd what if neutron star km / 6.2 mi and a little bit a similar waysee pg these kind of systems believed... ) across ~10-10 3 years, we 'd be experiencing over six gees of gravity drops and the latest?., supernovae occurring as Close as 50 light-years from Earth could pose an danger! Mixes scales in an incongruous way would n't be strong enough to support its own weight and... [ 5 ] Close Focus Research, Maximum Altitude for Bullets Fired.... Falcon 9 Teal Sphinx star balances gravity with neutron degeneracy pressure conclusion, no statistically present... Is in the universe supernovae occurring as Close as 50 light-years from Earth could pose an imminent danger to biospherehumans. The Questions have drug or alcohol in them but the neutron and h Planck! Dienel/Carnegie Institution for Science ), Teal Sphinx of formerly massive stars have... A full-size comet would n't be strong enough to support its own weight, and would collapse a! Would n't end up well for our Annual Public star Party the atmosphere by everyones... To have Earth-like mass, even the strongest humans would only be able walk.