Scientists trying to understand the structure of neutron stars say they are akin to chocolate pralines.
Neutron stars, which were discovered 60 years ago, result from a supernova – the explosion that marks the collapse of a massive star. This, combined with gravitational collapse, compresses the star into an incredibly compact and dense form.
They have been compared to the mass of the Sun being compressed into a sphere the size of a large city but their structure has baffled experts for decades.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A team at Goethe University in Frankfurt made their “tasty new point of reference” after using hundreds of thousands of equations, which aim to describe the stars’ properties, said Sky News. The news site added that the discovery means “the Milky Way is not the only cosmic entity with chocolatey connotations”.
Scientists used the “solar mass” measurement for their breakthrough. A solar mass means the mass of the Sun, which itself is estimated at 330,000 times the mass of the Earth. “Light” neutron stars have masses smaller than about 1.7 solar masses and “seem to have a soft mantle and a stiff core, whereas ‘heavy’ neutron stars (with masses larger than 1.7 solar masses) have a stiff mantle and a soft core”, said Sky News.
Professor Luciano Rezzolla, who led the team of scientists, said: “Neutron stars apparently behave a bit like chocolate pralines” because “light stars resemble those chocolates that have a hazelnut in their centre surrounded by soft chocolate, whereas heavy stars can be considered more like those chocolates where a hard layer contains a soft filling”.
However, despite these mouth-watering comparisons, you should not even think about approaching a neutron star. Their gravitational fields are “super intense”, said GizModo. “If a human observer went near one, they’d be torn apart at an atomic level.”
Meanwhile, physicists say there are still many mysteries to unravel when it comes to neutron stars.
-
Should Labour break manifesto pledge and raise taxes?Today's Big Question There are ‘powerful’ fiscal arguments for an income tax rise but it could mean ‘game over’ for the government
-
Nigerian Modernism: an ‘entrancing, enlightening exhibition’The Week Recommends Tate Modern’s ‘revelatory’ show includes 250 works examining Nigerian art pre- and post independence
-
To the point: the gender divide over exclamation marksTalking Point 'Men harbouring urges to be more exclamative' can finally take a breath – this is what using the punctuation really conveys
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designationThe Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
