• Home
  • Science
  • Technology
  • Futurism
  • Weather Extreme

Subscribe to Updates

Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

What's Hot

Pokemon Go Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf Remote Raid Apology Issued

June 8, 2023

Sen. Markey, Rep. Eshoo Applaud FCC Vote Advancing New Accessibility Standards for Video Conferencing

June 8, 2023

Spare a thought for Gustavo, the guy delivering your ramen in the wildfire smoke

June 8, 2023
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
Futurist JournalFuturist Journal
Demo
  • Home
  • Science
  • Technology
  • Futurism
  • Weather Extreme
Futurist JournalFuturist Journal
Home » Heaviest neutron star results after devouring companion star
Latest Science

Heaviest neutron star results after devouring companion star

NewsBy NewsJuly 27, 2022Updated:July 27, 2022No Comments3 Mins Read0 Views
Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Telegram Tumblr Email
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

Called a neutron star, the dense, collapsed remnants of a massive star weighs more than twice the mass of our sun, making it the heaviest neutron star known to date. The object spins 707 times per second, which also makes it one of the fastest-spinning neutron stars in the Milky Way.

The neutron star is known as a black widow because, much like these arachnids known for female spiders that consume much smaller male partners after mating, the star has shredded and devoured almost the entire mass of its companion star.

This stellar feast has allowed the black widow to become the heaviest neutron star observed so far.

Astronomers were able to weigh the star, called PSR J0952-0607, by using the sensitive Keck telescope at the W. M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea in Hawaii.

The observatory’s Low Resolution Imaging Spectrometer recorded visible light from the shredded companion star, which glowed due to its high heat.

The companion star is now about the size of a large gaseous planet, or 20 times the mass of Jupiter. The side of the companion star that faces the neutron star is heated to 10,700 degrees Fahrenheit (5,927 degrees Celsius) — hot and bright enough to be seen by a telescope.

Neutron star cores are the densest matter in the universe, outside of black holes, and 1 cubic inch (16.4 cubic centimeters) of a neutron star weighs more than 10 billion tons, according to study author Roger W. Romani, a professor of physics at Stanford University in California.

This particular neutron star is the densest object within sight of Earth, according to the researchers.

Astronomers observed a faint star (green circle) that has been stripped of nearly its entire mass by an invisible neutron star. The stripped star is much fainter and smaller compared with a regular star (top).

“We know roughly how matter behaves at nuclear densities, like in the nucleus of a uranium atom,” said study coauthor Alex Filippenko in a statement. Filippenko holds dual titles of professor of astronomy and distinguished professor of physical sciences at the University of California, Berkeley.

“A neutron star is like one giant nucleus, but when you have one-and-a-half solar masses of this stuff, which is about 500,000 Earth masses of nuclei all clinging together, it’s not at all clear how they will behave.”

A neutron star like PSR J0952-0607 is called a pulsar because as it spins, the object acts like a cosmic lighthouse, regularly beaming out light through radio waves, X-rays or gamma rays.

Astronomers detect gravitational waves created by massive neutron star collision

Normal pulsars spin and flash about once a second, but this one is pulsing hundreds of times per second. This is because the neutron star becomes more energized as it strips material away from the companion star.

“In a case of cosmic ingratitude, the black widow pulsar, which has devoured a large part of its mate, now heats and evaporates the companion down to planetary masses and perhaps complete annihilation,” Filippenko said.

Astronomers first discovered the neutron star in 2017, and Filippenko and Romani have studied similar black widow systems for more than a decade. They have been trying to understand how large neutron stars can become. If neutron stars become too heavy, they collapse and become black holes.

The PSR J0952-0607 star is 2.35 times the mass of the sun, which is now considered to be the upper limit for a neutron star, the researchers said.

“We can keep looking for black widows and similar neutron stars that skate even closer to the black hole brink. But if we don’t find any, it tightens the argument that 2.3 solar masses is the true limit, beyond which they become black holes,” Filippenko said.

Source

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
News
  • Website

Related Posts

Burmese Pythons Help Cotton Rats Thrive in Florida Everglades: Study

June 8, 2023

Testing antibacterial surfaces on the International Space Station

June 8, 2023

The brightest gamma-ray burst ever seen has unique jet structure powering it

June 8, 2023

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe Plunges Into Fast Solar Wind and Discovers Its Mysterious Source

June 8, 2023

Scientists find ‘lost world’ in billion-year-old Australian rock | Science and Technology News

June 8, 2023

The Birth of a Black Hole Created The Brightest Space Explosion Ever Seen : ScienceAlert

June 8, 2023

Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Recent Posts
  • Pokemon Go Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf Remote Raid Apology Issued
  • Sen. Markey, Rep. Eshoo Applaud FCC Vote Advancing New Accessibility Standards for Video Conferencing
  • Spare a thought for Gustavo, the guy delivering your ramen in the wildfire smoke
  • Burmese Pythons Help Cotton Rats Thrive in Florida Everglades: Study
  • Create a Strong Foundation for Your K–12 Classrooms of the Future
Recent Comments
    Demo
    Top Posts

    Chinese granny finds online fame for depiction of elderly loneliness

    December 4, 20219 Views

    Starbucks Teases Web 3 Platform in NFT Announcement

    May 4, 20225 Views

    Pandas AI: The Generative AI Python Library

    May 16, 20234 Views
    Don't Miss

    Pokemon Go Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf Remote Raid Apology Issued

    June 8, 2023

    Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf ran away from Remote Raid participants. Trainers that used Remote Raid…

    Sen. Markey, Rep. Eshoo Applaud FCC Vote Advancing New Accessibility Standards for Video Conferencing

    June 8, 2023

    Spare a thought for Gustavo, the guy delivering your ramen in the wildfire smoke

    June 8, 2023

    Burmese Pythons Help Cotton Rats Thrive in Florida Everglades: Study

    June 8, 2023
    Stay In Touch
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • TikTok
    • WhatsApp
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    Latest Reviews
    Demo
    Most Popular

    Chinese granny finds online fame for depiction of elderly loneliness

    December 4, 20219 Views

    Starbucks Teases Web 3 Platform in NFT Announcement

    May 4, 20225 Views

    Pandas AI: The Generative AI Python Library

    May 16, 20234 Views
    Our Picks

    Pokemon Go Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf Remote Raid Apology Issued

    June 8, 2023

    Sen. Markey, Rep. Eshoo Applaud FCC Vote Advancing New Accessibility Standards for Video Conferencing

    June 8, 2023

    Spare a thought for Gustavo, the guy delivering your ramen in the wildfire smoke

    June 8, 2023
    Editor's Pick

    Apple releases iOS 16.1.1 with bug fixes and security updates

    November 10, 2022

    1 Tech Company That’s Defining the Future of Real Estate

    July 21, 2022

    ‘The mountains protect us’: safeguards sought for Philippines’ Sierra Madre shield against typhoons | Philippines

    October 6, 2022
    Futurist Journal
    Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest YouTube Dribbble
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Policy
    © 2023 futuristjournal.com - All Rights Reserved.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.