Neutron stars


Image taken fron pixabay

I can't imagine anything that is not fascinating in the cosmos. Whether it's an asteroid, a planet, a star, a star system, a galaxy or a group of galaxies it is always teaching us something new and that is exciting. Neutron stars are one of the most fascinating objects in the universe. The above image might just be an illustration but I'm sure that you have seen actual images as well. Where? you might ask, if you have seen images of nebulas then there is a good chance that you have seen a Neutron star because they are located at the center of many nebulas. Neutron stars are collapsed cores of massive stars that ran out of fuel. They are massive but not massive enough to become black holes. They are very dense and at the nuclear level they combine the electrons and protons into neutrons, hence the name. A neutron star can be many times the mass of the sun but just about the size of a city. That is why apart from black holes they are one of the densest objects in the known universe. They are also known for their rapid spinning rate and strong magnetic fields. 

Image taken fron pixabay 

Crab nebula is one of the most famous and youngest ones and I'm sure you have seen images of it. At its center there is a pulsar, which is a type of neutron star. This pulsar is about 1.4 times the mass of the sun but it's diameter is just about 20Km. It is called a pulsar because it emits beams of radiation from its magnetic poles and due to it's high spin rate, about 30 spins per second, it appears to be pulsating. Early humans would have had a fantistic view of it in the year 1054 when the supernova happened.

Magnetars are also a type of neutron stars. They have some of the strongest magnetic fields of any known object. There is still much to be studied about them but there are about 10 discovered in the Milky way so far but many more might be hiding.

The universe is filled with wonders. We know about many kinds of stars. As for me, I just can't wait to see what will be discovered next. 

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