![]() Neutron stars are partially supported against further collapse by neutron degeneracy pressure, just as white dwarfs are supported against collapse by electron degeneracy pressure. Most of the basic models for these objects imply that they are composed almost entirely of neutrons due to the extreme pressure, the electrons and protons present in normal matter combine to produce neutrons. Once formed, neutron stars no longer actively generate heat and cool over time however, they may still evolve further through collision or accretion. They result from the supernova explosion of a massive star, combined with gravitational collapse, that compresses the core past white dwarf star density to that of atomic nuclei. Neutron stars have a radius on the order of 10 kilometers (6 mi) and a mass of about 1.4 M ☉. ![]() ![]() Except for black holes, neutron stars are the smallest and densest known class of stellar objects. Central neutron star at the heart of the Crab Nebula Radiation from the rapidly spinning pulsar PSR B1509-58 makes nearby gas emit X-rays (gold) and illuminates the rest of the nebula, here seen in infrared (blue and red).Ī neutron star is the collapsed core of a massive supergiant star, which had a total mass of between 10 and 25 solar masses ( M ☉), possibly more if the star was especially metal-rich. For other uses, see Neutron Star (disambiguation). ![]()
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