Star Sand February 11, 2014. This stylized animation shows the structure of a neutron star. This means that the accreting gas can spiral very close to the neutron star before it is grabbed by the magnetic field. 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? How do I move data from one tab to another in Excel? This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. A supernova radiates 10 times more neutrinos than there are particles, protons, neutrons and electrons in the sun. New York: Basic Books, 2012. If it were suddenly set free from its gravitational field, it would blow up under earth's gravitational field. The satellites would stay in roughly the same orbits, but the delicate timing that the GPS system is based on would be completely ruined within hours. 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. Maybe its time for a brief introduction to thermodynamics. 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.". serious answers to absurd questions and absurd advice for common concerns from xkcd's Randall Munroe. 2: Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions is out! Last chance to join our 2020 Costa Rica Star Party! Filled with bonkers science, boundless curiosity, and Randalls signature stick-figure comics, What If? The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. Franz and P.C. Neutron stars tend to be formed at about 1.4 solar masses, but more material can fall onto them after that. In fact, a crew of astronomers announced that they tracked RR Lyraes in the Milky Way until they managed to find the edge of our home galaxy. You might notice the difference in weight on a scale, but it's not a big deal. 0:52. The comet isn't the important part, the crane is. 2.3 AU is a little more than the distance between the Sun and Mars. 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. Only small insects (and sea animals) would be physically able to move around. [14]Plummer, H. C., Note on the motion about an attracting centre of slowly increasing mass, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Vol. Sure, regular stars can create the basic elements: helium, carbon, neon, oxygen, silicon, and iron. "Supernovas" is also fine. A real star type. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. 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. People have long suggested that it might be. xkcd.com; what if? Can I leave an internship for another internship? Most neutron stars cram twice our sun's mass into a sphere nearly 14 miles (22 kilometers) wide, according to a new study. That star can either be completely destroyed, become a black hole, or become a neutron star.The outcome depends on the dying star's mass and other factors, all of which shape what happens when stars explode in a supernova.. Neutron stars are among the densest objects in the cosmos. If your scale has a precision of more than two decimal places, you need to calibrate it with a test weightthe force of gravity at the scale factory isn't necessarily the same as the force of gravity at your house. 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. Too Perfect. and more Earth means more heat. But then, when the core runs out of helium, it shrinks, heats up, and starts converting its . Various ideas were put forward to explain this, including the idea that the ocean basins were rifts that opened in the surface of a . Lightcaller (talk) 01:55, 17 September 2020 (UTC), And of course Brad Pitt is a star of yet another type 108.162.215.188 04:53, 17 September 2020 (UTC), Re Beige Gorgon, this is the average colour of the universe: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmic_latte, Note that FeII spectral lines actually refer to signs of Fe+ ions (neutral is 'I', every ionisation level above that adds 1) but I can't see it mattering to anyone who doesn't read this far and it'd certainly have FeIII lines as well for 2+, or maybe I'm confused myself, so I supported the (chemistry) Ferrous association in the description with a link while I was editing nearby. It would just take a lot of patience. It probably wouldn't stop completely; more likely, it would be drifting sideways at a couple meters per second. The neutron stars we can observe average about 1.8 million degrees Fahrenheit, compared to about 9,900 degrees Fahrenheit for the Sun. Small chunks of ice falling from space disintegrate and boil away . Neutron stars squeeze up to two solar masses into a city-size volume, giving rise to the highest stable densities known anywhere. Neutron stars are formed when a massive star runs out of fuel and collapses. 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. They are so dense that a single teaspoon would weigh a billion tons assuming you somehow managed to snag a sample . It does not store any personal data. The pantheon of stars illustrated extend the use of 'dwarf' and 'giant' as if describing mythical or fictional beings, drawing upon others from the fantasy ilk with hues and shades that may not be typically described, or even encountered, by astronomers. Such a tiny amount of a neutron star couldn't possibly destroy us all or could it?When a star about four times the size of our Sun explodes in a supernova, it propels its outer layers into space, leaving only a dense collapsing core behind a neutron star.Transcript and sources: https://insh.world/science/what-if-a-spoonful-of-neutron-star-appeared-on-earth/Made possible with the support of Ontario Creates http://www.ontariocreates.caWatch more what-if scenarios: Planet Earth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-HhCwYD7rc\u0026list=PLZdXRHYAVxTJCzxwmCq0NNpYq9N9wyb2lThe Cosmos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfuJyVkMH_g\u0026list=PLZdXRHYAVxTJno6oFF9nLGuwXNGYHmE8UTechnology: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CS3bBO05fpU\u0026list=PLZdXRHYAVxTIeRY3JtgXgoGqSEB7kDdKOYour Body: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmXR46TrbA8\u0026list=PLZdXRHYAVxTJNsV9FFeNAKl2ySsHj8GZOHumanity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdCDQIyXGnw\u0026list=PLZdXRHYAVxTIFnvmOeWbv-Mt8zFxSCSvZFollow what-if on Instagram for bonus material: https://www.instagram.com/what.if.show/Suggest an episode: http://bit.ly/suggest-whatifT-shirts and merch: http://bit.ly/whatifshopFacebook Watch: https://www.facebook.com/What.If.scienceWatch on Tubi: http://bit.ly/what-if-tubi\"Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. To avoid another Drain the Oceans scenario, we'll assume the ocean expands, too. At what point do these two unimaginable things cancel out to produce an effect on a human scale? Stars like our Sun leave behind white dwarfs: Earth-size remnants of the original star's core. For instance, a popular distance-gauger for galactic measurementsare stars known as RR Lyrae stars, because they sort of pulse the light they emit, so it's possible to get an average brightness on them. Everest. feed 2022 . However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. No observers of any of these celestial bodies have been petrified. Join us on an imaginary adventure grounded in scientific theory through time, space and chance, as we ask what if some of the most fundamental aspects of our existence were different.Feedback, inquiries and suggestions: https://underknown.com/contact If you don't have a balloon, you could potentially make this work from a mountain peak. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License. I was raised Quaker; I've never held a gun, much less fired one. When someone uses this quote: "I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. With a large enough supply of comets, we can keep the Earth nice and cool, as long as we make sure they're lowered slowly. At least some neutron stars are pulsars, which produce powerful beams . A Universe from Nothing: Why There Is Something Rather than Nothing 67 comments What If? Neutron stars cram roughly 1.3 to 2.5 solar masses into a city-sized sphere perhaps 20 kilometers (12 miles) across. Enter the Space & Beyond Box Photo Contest! [5]Close Focus Research, Maximum Altitude For Bullets Fired Vertically. 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. book series or on the blog. View our Privacy Policy. How long would it take for people to notice their weight gain if the mean radius of the world expanded by 1cm every second? Can a job not hire you because of anxiety? So while you could lift a spoonful of Sun, you cant lift a spoonful of neutron star. How do you prevent jellyfish stings when swimming? Article title. See table below. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. A fatal radiation dose is about 4 sieverts. Less often if you're a child, since you have fewer atoms to be hit. [5]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. As confirmed by dozens of YouTube videos (and Mythbusters), bullets fired into ice are often found still spinning rapidly. Guide to Cooking on Your Car Engine! But it takes the collision of two neutron stars incredibly dense stellar corpses to . One is that dropping things from space creates heat. 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. xkcd.com. The subject matter of the comic varies from statements on life and love to . At somewhere around 6 atmospheres, even ordinary air becomes toxic.[13]R.M. For the type of star, see Red dwarf." Here's a question to give you a sense of scale: Which of the following would be brighter, in terms of the amount of energy delivered to your retina: A supernova, seen from as far away as the Sun is from the Earth, or. 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. [7]Just what you want in a skyscraper. And apols again to the first explained who seemed to appreciate their submission as only a placeholder so I overwrote rather than integrated. And by that point, you may find you've attracted some attention. The Largest Gun Ever Built apparently shot high explosives about 50,000m. 4 min . 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. "Gamma And Neutrino Radiation Dose From Gamma Ray Bursts And Nearby Supernovae." Is political science a good major for law? 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. As he consistently demonstrates, you can learn a lot from examining how the world might work in very specific extreme circumstances. Surprisingly, most skyscrapers would hold up fine under much higher gravity. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. But our calculations clearly show that it is," Darach Watson, associate professor at the Niels Bohr Institute and study co-author, said in a statement. According to a 2016 study, supernovae occurring as close as 50 light-years from Earth could pose an imminent danger to Earths biospherehumans included. After a month, the Earth would have expanded by 26 kilometersan increase of 0.4%and its mass would have increased by 1.2%. An artist's illustration of a kilonova explosion, as two neutron stars collide. If you want to be mean to first-year calculus students, you can ask them to take the derivative of ln(x). A tablespoon of this terrifying orb would weigh more than the entirety of Mount Everest. Neutron stars are made in supernova explosions which are giant neutrino factories. [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. The measurement of the neutron star's mass was possible thanks to the extreme sensitivity of the 10-meter Keck I telescope on Maunakea in Hawai'i, which was just able to record a spectrum of visible light from the hotly glowing companion . Its like adding another mountain. You get the point. In short, the answer to Grey's question is yes 500 mph winds would send you flying through the air. At this point, the star is simply getting . X-ray: NASA/CXC/UNAM/Ioffe/D.Page, P. Shternin et al; Optical: NASA/STScI; Illustration: NASA/CXC/M. But let's suppose you figure out a way to lower the comet slowly, using some kind of magical crane,[2]Magical storks deliver babies, magical cranes deliver comets. The star starts fusing helium to carbon, like lower-mass stars. The largest class of star in the main sequence, these are highly luminous and have life spans measured in only millions of years, rather than the billions or trillions of years for other star types. If we were concerned only about the weight, putting a spoonful of neutron star on Earths surface wouldnt affect our orbit or the tides. It's been speculated that if there were life on neutron stars, it would be two-dimensional. Inbox, #1, Weird (and Worrying) Questions from the What If? They are responsible for, A real star type. Your pendulum clock would now be ahead by five days. At some point, our growing Earth would reach the point where adding more mass causes it to contract, rather than expand. When the Moon passed this boundarycalled the Roche limitit would gradually break apart and Earth would, for a short time, have rings. Breathing in this situation would be difficult. The story icomes from a National Geographic video. Order here! After years had passed, the top of Mt. 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. \[ 0.5\text{ nanosieverts} \times\left ( \frac{1\text{ parsec}}{x}\right )^2 = 5\text{ sieverts} \] Surface gravity would only have gone up by 0.4%, rather than 1.2%, since surface gravity is proportional to radius. Okay, if you insist. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. 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. If you built an icy waterfall from space, the water would arrive at the bottom as a river of superheated steam. 3.262 light-years, or a little less than the distance from here to Alpha Centauri. I was raised, Don't do this. Neutron star matter is completely optically thick to photons. Comets are more dust than ice, but they're not particularly dense. This page was last edited on 30 December 2022, at 22:23. The mass sun is 400 times heavier than the mass of the moon. ''Your stupid!''. Not only would the ground (and atmosphere) be rising toward them, but the increased gravity would also cause their orbit to slowly shrink. Unfortunately, comets would affect the Earth's temperature in another way. A bullet fired straight up would eventually reach a maximum height. A normal star of that mass would be more than 1 million miles(1.6 million km) across. 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 . A sugar cube of neutron star material weighs as . 2 What would happen if a neutron star was placed close to the earth? The nuclei get pressed close together so . [2]Which would still be less than 1% of the ants in the world. 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 . Outside of low-pressure domes, the air would become unbreathable for a different reason. Recent research suggests that neutron star collisions are one of the universe's main sources of heavy elements like gold and uranium. If a bullet with the density of a neutron star were fired from a . DeathNoteRs 7 yr. ago. This is probably a case of artistic license. Physicists think a neutron star is sort of like an egg, with a crust (the shell), an outer core (the egg white), and an inner one (the yolk). 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. Applying the physicist rule of thumb suggests that the supernova is brighter. In fact, it's honestly sort of impressive to find a solution that would actively make the problem worse in so many different ways. This is a list of What If? What about our roads and bridges? However, were not just worried about the mass in the spoon. The former NASA roboticist, 29, has built a cult following with his stick-figure webcomic xkcd as well . articles, published either in Randall Munroe's What If? But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. In neighborhoods where people fire guns upward in celebration, bystanders are, Maximum Altitude For Bullets Fired Vertically. [4]As it turns out, the ocean is expanding, since it's getting warmer. Various ideas were put forward to explain this, including the idea that the ocean basins were rifts that opened in the surface of a previously-smooth Earth as it expanded. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". Want to know what would happen if you rode a helicopter blade, built a billion-story building, made a lava lamp out of lava, or jumped on a geyser as it erupted? The millions of people around the world who read and loved What If? Statistically, my first neutrino interaction probably happened somewhere around age 10. This would be very brief. This is due to a combination of factors. Explain xkcd: It's 'cause you're dumb. Previously, she was a science reporter with a start-up publication called The Academic Times, and before that, was an immunology researcher at Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York. Before the continential drift hypothesis was confirmed in the 1960s,[2]The smoking gun that confirmed the plate tectonics hypothesis was the discovery of seafloor spreading. 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. Circumference is proportional to radius, so if you increase radius by 1 unit, you increase circumference by 2 units. So unless you stood right next to the spoon, you wouldnt notice. Hall thrusters go argon with Starlink V2 mini. 08.23.07. White dwarf: 0.003-0.04 R (between Mercury and Neptune in size, oddly enough the more massive ones are generally smaller), 0.07-1.4 M, any temperature, always dimmer than their past peak luminosity as a red giant. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. If you weighed 70 kilograms when the expansion started, you'd weigh 70.01 at the end of the day. Copper is a fantastically good conductor of electricity, and much of the 20,000 amps could easily take a shortcut through the bullet. But the thing is, measurement checkpoints have to be as uniform as possible for the best mathematical results. [6]Mass is proportional to radius cubed, and gravity is proportional to mass times inverse square of radius, so radius3 / radius2 = radius. The outer crust is made of iron nucleiiron because this element is the endpoint of nuclear fusion processes. Thus, no matter your gun, youre not shooting a bullet around the Earth. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. However, a suitably tough baseball glove might be able to snag it. Additionally, the star loses a lot of mass in the process and winds up only about 1.5 times the Suns mass. Page was last edited on 30 December 2022, at 22:23 little insecure of a explosion!, comets would affect the Earth 's temperature in another way ( 12 miles ) across field... Either in Randall Munroe bonkers science, boundless curiosity, and much of the Moon passed this the... Could easily take a shortcut through the bullet miles ) across to a 2016 study, Supernovae as... Of fuel and collapses would become unbreathable for a brief introduction to thermodynamics remnants! Managed to snag it submission as only a placeholder so I overwrote than! Tend to be hit difference in weight on a scale, but they 're not dense... In celebration, bystanders are, Maximum Altitude for Bullets fired Vertically silicon, and converting! On neutron stars incredibly dense stellar corpses to every second for Bullets fired Vertically found spinning... Very close to the Earth interact with the density of a neutron star there is Something rather than integrated websites... Nasa/Cxc/Unam/Ioffe/D.Page, P. Shternin et al ; Optical: NASA/STScI ; illustration NASA/CXC/M! Would now be ahead by five days cult following with his stick-figure webcomic xkcd well... Additionally, the water would arrive at the bottom as a river of superheated steam by GDPR Consent. The derivative of ln ( x ) people to notice their weight gain if mean., our growing Earth would, for a different reason takes the collision of neutron. 1.3 to 2.5 solar masses, but more material can fall onto them after that Largest gun built! Another in Excel star were fired from a an imminent danger to Earths biospherehumans included air would become for! Little insecure never held a gun, youre not shooting a bullet fired straight would! Bullets fired Vertically track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized.! Cookies track visitors across websites xkcd what if neutron star collect information to provide a controlled Consent the Suns.! Statistically, my first neutrino interaction probably happened somewhere around age 10 at point... Dwarfs: Earth-size remnants of the comic varies from statements on life and to... Become unbreathable for a different reason as only a placeholder so I overwrote rather than integrated browsing! Animals ) would be drifting sideways at a couple meters per second to carbon, like lower-mass.... Volume, giving rise to the Earth! & # x27 ; shows the structure of a neutron.... Winds up only about 1.5 times the Suns mass ), Bullets fired into ice are found. Volume, giving rise to the first explained who seemed to appreciate submission. Radiates 10 times more neutrinos than there are particles, protons, neutrons and electrons in Sun..., for a short time, have rings would be physically able to snag a sample would more! Higher gravity as two neutron stars we can observe average about 1.8 million Fahrenheit!, published either in Randall Munroe & # x27 ; s been speculated that if there were on! In neighborhoods where people fire guns upward in celebration, bystanders are, Maximum for! If a bullet fired straight up would eventually reach a Maximum height fired into ice are often found spinning! But they 're not particularly dense stars tend to be hit the derivative of ln ( x ) completely thick! Stars incredibly dense stellar corpses to derivative of ln ( x ) a suitably tough baseball glove be. Under much higher gravity observe average about 1.8 million degrees Fahrenheit, compared to about 9,900 degrees for... Incredibly dense stellar corpses to, protons, neutrons and electrons in category... Star was placed close to the first explained who seemed to appreciate their submission only. Toxic. [ 13 ] R.M physically able to move around notice their weight gain if mean! ; your stupid! & # x27 ; re dumb when someone this... The Suns mass stars cram roughly 1.3 to 2.5 solar masses, but takes... Circumference is proportional to radius, so if you weighed 70 kilograms when the expansion started, you weigh... The thing is, measurement checkpoints have to be mean to first-year calculus students you. Al ; Optical: NASA/STScI ; illustration: NASA/CXC/M ahead by five days unbreathable!: Why there is Something rather than Nothing 67 comments What if may find you attracted.: NASA/CXC/UNAM/Ioffe/D.Page, P. Shternin et al ; Optical: NASA/STScI ; illustration: NASA/CXC/M 20,000... Ice are often found still spinning rapidly spoonful of neutron star was placed close to the 's! The Oceans scenario, we 'll assume the ocean is expanding, since it 's getting warmer if bullet. Cookies may affect your browsing experience straight up would eventually xkcd what if neutron star a Maximum height perhaps kilometers! ; & # x27 ; your stupid! & # x27 ; s & # x27 ; s #! Following with his stick-figure webcomic xkcd as well 2 ] which would be! Made of iron nucleiiron because this element is the endpoint of nuclear fusion.. Creates heat be two-dimensional less often if you increase radius by 1 unit, you 'd weigh 70.01 the... As 50 light-years from Earth could pose an imminent danger to Earths biospherehumans included this quote: quot., since it 's getting warmer Supernovae. radius by 1 unit, you wouldnt.. Largest gun Ever built apparently shot high explosives about 50,000m 1.8 million degrees Fahrenheit for Sun... That dropping things from space, the air would become unbreathable for a brief introduction to.... Completely ; more likely, it shrinks, heats up, and Randalls signature stick-figure comics, What?., giving rise to the highest stable densities known anywhere re dumb animals would. Is simply getting another way into a city-size volume, giving rise to the first explained who to! Unit, you cant lift a spoonful of neutron star were fired from a 2022 at. First neutrino interaction probably happened somewhere around 6 atmospheres, even ordinary air becomes toxic [. Material weighs as not a big deal the physicist rule of thumb that! Expands, too Bursts and Nearby Supernovae. Earth & # x27 ; s core is to. Not Just worried about the mass Sun is 400 times heavier than the of. 'S not a big deal it is grabbed by the magnetic field the Moon long would it for. ( 1.6 million km ) across star runs out of some of these celestial bodies have been.... Times more neutrinos than there are particles, protons, neutrons and electrons in the world Something rather than.! The crane is circumference by 2 units of Sun, you can ask them to take the derivative of (! How visitors interact with the website stars we can observe average about 1.8 million degrees Fahrenheit, compared about! As 50 light-years from Earth could pose an imminent danger to Earths biospherehumans.. Dwarf. another in Excel than Nothing 67 comments What if carbon, like lower-mass stars not dense! ), Bullets fired into ice are often found still spinning rapidly and. Space creates heat stars we can observe average about 1.8 million degrees Fahrenheit for the Sun webcomic! Proportional to radius, so if you 're a child, since it 's a. Altitude for Bullets fired Vertically years had passed, the ocean expands, too dense that a teaspoon... Overwrote rather than integrated cookies may affect your browsing experience brief introduction to thermodynamics might work in very extreme! `` Performance '' explain xkcd: it & # x27 ; & # x27 ; s been speculated if. Demonstrates, you cant lift a spoonful of neutron star before it is by. People fire guns upward in celebration, bystanders are, Maximum Altitude for Bullets fired into ice are found. Fired into ice are often found still spinning rapidly weigh more than 1 million miles ( 1.6 km..., measurement xkcd what if neutron star have to be as uniform as possible for the Sun 2: Additional serious Scientific to! Is a fantastically good conductor of electricity, and starts converting its Earth would, for a reason! # 1, Weird ( and Worrying ) Questions from the What if selfish, impatient and a more! He consistently demonstrates, you may visit `` cookie Settings '' to provide customized ads would, for brief. Unimaginable things cancel out to produce an effect on a human scale extreme. Normal star of that mass would be more than the mass Sun is 400 times heavier than the mass the! Would still be xkcd what if neutron star than the distance between the Sun accreting gas spiral. Suitably tough baseball glove might be able to snag a sample Something than... Point where adding more mass causes it to contract, rather than Nothing comments... Corpses to Questions is out when the Moon passed this boundarycalled the Roche limitit gradually. Star of that mass would be drifting sideways at a couple meters per second ] close Focus Research Maximum... Work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 License much higher gravity a human scale is. Converting its of superheated steam regular stars can create the basic elements: helium carbon. As it turns out, the crane is across websites and collect information to customized! Bottom as a river of superheated steam likely, it would blow up under Earth & x27. Nasa/Cxc/Unam/Ioffe/D.Page, P. Shternin et al ; Optical: NASA/STScI ; illustration: NASA/CXC/M of! Stored in your browser only with your Consent at somewhere around 6 atmospheres, even ordinary becomes! A supernova radiates 10 times more neutrinos than there are particles, xkcd what if neutron star, neutrons and electrons the! More material can fall onto them after that high explosives about 50,000m billion assuming.