When it comes to Neutron Stars Size Matters

The discovery of the largest neutron star to date shines a light on the size limit that exists between these objects and black holes, also answering questions about the most exotic forms of matter.

Neutron stars are some of the most fascinating and mysterious objects in the observable universe. The end result of the death throes of a star, the material that comprises the neutron star exists in an exotic form so dense that it simply couldn’t exist on Earth. The second-densest objects in the universe; a single sugar-cube worth of neutron-star material would weigh 100 million tonnes here on Earth — roughly equivalent to the entire human population.

Of course, we know that when a star reaches the end of its life the process the gives birth to a neutron star — a massive supernova explosion and core-collapse — can also create a black hole. This leads to the obvious question: what determines if a dying star becomes a black hole or a neutron star?

The answer is the size of the star in question and its mass — with more massive cores forming black holes and less massive cores becoming neutron stars. But, what is less clear is where the boundary between the two lies. Fortunately, with the discovery…