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Astronomy & Space vocabulary · Stars & Stellar Evolution

Neutron star

Meaning in astronomy & space, with examples

nounCommon term

In astronomy & space, neutron star means: The extremely dense core left after a massive star explodes as a supernova. It packs more mass than the Sun into a ball only about 20 kilometres across.

In Turkish: nötron yıldızı

How it is used

Used in astrophysics and in news about gravitational waves. Rapidly spinning neutron stars that we see as regular pulses are called pulsars. When two neutron stars collide, they can create heavy elements such as gold.

Example sentences

  1. In 2017 detectors recorded gravitational waves from two merging neutron stars.

  2. This neutron star spins hundreds of times per second.

Common collocations

  • neutron star merger
  • spinning neutron star
  • neutron star collision
  • pulsarA rapidly spinning neutron star that sends out beams of radio waves or other radiation, which we see from Earth as very regular pulses, like the beam of a lighthouse.
  • supernovaA huge stellar explosion that can briefly shine as brightly as a whole galaxy. It happens when a massive star collapses or when a white dwarf gains too much mass.
  • black holeA region of space where matter is packed so tightly that gravity stops anything, even light, from escaping. Many form when very massive stars collapse.
  • gravitational waveA ripple in space-time caused by massive objects accelerating, such as two black holes spiralling into each other. Einstein predicted them in 1916.
  • white dwarfThe small, very dense and hot core left behind when a Sun-like star dies. It is about the size of Earth but has a mass comparable to the Sun's.

More terms: Stars & Stellar Evolution

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