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neutron star: [noun] a dense celestial object that consists primarily of closely packed neutrons and that results from the collapse of a much larger stellar body. Imagine you have a can of soda, and its all shaken up. Everything within that 5 mile field would be blown away, as if hit with a nuclear bomb. 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. Inbox, #11, Weird (and Worrying) Questions from the What If? Last chance to join our 2020 Costa Rica Star Party! Everest would no longer be in the "death zone". His stick-figure drawings about science, technology, language, and love have an enormous, dedicated following, as do his deeply researched answers to his fans' strangest questions. Outside of low-pressure domes, the air would become unbreathable for a different reason. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. When she's not at her desk, she's trying (and failing) to raise her online chess rating. A full-size comet wouldn't be strong enough to support its own weight, and would collapse like a drying sand sculpture. Tungsten Countertop . X-ray: NASA/CXC/UNAM/Ioffe/D.Page, P. Shternin et al; Optical: NASA/STScI; Illustration: NASA/CXC/M. When our sun enters this phase in a few billion years, it will consume Mercury, Venus, and possibly the Earth. His 2014 book What If? This an illusion, of course; it's not possible to catch a bullet like that. This stylized animation shows the structure of a neutron star. A tablespoon of neutron star weighs more than 1 billion tons (900 billion kg) the weight of Mount Everest. 162.158.158.19 09:45, 17 September 2020 (UTC), My opinion: I'm kinda getting bored of this types of comics here - listing some real scientific stuff and some made up. Statistically, my first neutrino interaction probably happened somewhere around age 10. and How To provides his best answers yet to the weirdest questions you never thought to ask. Your pendulum clock would now be ahead by five days. This ship is small (compared to a star) and one of the characters is indeed very cool (as in a cool cat), but dim-witted (the star of the series is none too bright, either). [5]Lawrence Grybosky, Thermal Expansion and Contraction. Outer space is a lot higher up than Niagara Falls,[citation needed] so the plunge down into the atmosphere at the bottom of Earth's gravity well adds a lot more than 0.1 degrees worth of heat. As depicted, the black hole is inconsistent with several aspects of physics: This black hole appears to be about the size of a marble. The pressure inside planets is, 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. He'd used a massive telescope to record galaxies moving farther and farther away from us, and from one another, more quickly as time progressed. The dynamics of really huge rocky planets aren't often analyzed, since there's no obvious way that they could form; anything that large will have enough gravity to gather hydrogen and helium during planet formation and become a gas giant. 2 What would happen if a neutron star was placed close to the earth? In the case of neutron decay, about 0.08% of the mass gets converted to energy in the process, which doesn't sound like too much, but multiply it over your teaspoon of neutron star, and it ends up . In fact, neutrinos are so shadowy that the entire Earth is transparent to them; nearly all of the Sun's neutrino flood goes straight through it unaffected. Soda Sequestration March 18, 2014. However, a suitably tough baseball glove might be able to snag it. Using the inverse-square law, we can calculate the radiation dose: But the thing is, measurement checkpoints have to be as uniform as possible for the best mathematical results. How long should I wait to text after being left on read? Inbox, #1, Weird (and Worrying) Questions from the What If? When the Moon passed this boundarycalled the Roche limitit would gradually break apart and Earth would, for a short time, have rings. This is a list of What If? 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. This means that the accreting gas can spiral very close to the neutron star before it is grabbed by the magnetic field. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Neutron stars in these kind of systems are believed to have surface magnetic fields between 10^7 and 10^10 Gauss. Eventually, they would have to break up, right? Plate tectonics play a key role in stabilizing the Earth's climate, and planets smaller than Earth (like Mars) don't have enough internal heat to sustain long-term geologic activity. Only their immense gravity keeps the matter inside from exploding; if you brought a spoonful of neutron star to Earth, the lack of gravity would cause it to expand rapidly. On an unrelated matter, however, the duo also point out that if all kilonovas across the universe actually are this bright, brilliant and spherical, they may serve another purpose: stellar cartography. So while you could lift a spoonful of Sun, you cant lift a spoonful of neutron star. Article title. 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 . They are responsible for, A real star type. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Even after a day, the extra 5.4 kilometers would be handled easily by virtually all structures. The pressure inside planets is roughly proportional to the square of their surface area, so the Earth's core would be squeezed tightly. Well, I'd argue,anything except what scientists just observed. But all that matter has been compressed to an object about 10 miles (16 kilometers) across. Hoping to cool the atmosphere by opening everyones freezer door at the same time? If the atmosphere isn't growing like the land and water are, air pressure would start dropping. 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 xkcd, sometimes styled XKCD, is a webcomic created in 2005 by American author Randall Munroe. Inbox, #6, Weird (and Worrying) Questions from the What If? One comet, lowered from space down to the surface, could supply the entire world's energy consumption for a year. 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. Some types of stars can vary in a wide range of sizes as well. Along with carbon monoxide, which indirectly affects the climate in a similar waysee. Stretching a 40,000-kilometer line an extra 6.28 meters is pretty negligible. The Earth is not, currently, expanding. They'd need to evacuate quickly; they'd have at most a few months before the station reentered the atmosphere and deorbited. After the first day, the Earth would have expanded by 864 meters. The nature of matter under these conditions is a decades-old unsolved problem. It wouldn't just cancel out the cooling effect of the iceover time, the comet's greenhouse effect would deliver as much heat as if you'd just let it slam into the planet and vaporize. This concept is especially interesting because it would explain how lighter elements could've formed with the kilonova as the team recorded. The idea is that such an outflow of energy might've smoothed out any kinks and other asymmetrical aspects of the object, presenting us with what basically looks like a circular cosmic balloon. Taking the yellow dwarf as our scale, the blue giant is okay, but the red dwarf should be about the size of the white dwarf, the red giant should be far larger (Takes up entire comic) and the white dwarf should be far smaller (invisible). There's been a lot of them, and they seem repetitive - no real new humor. Robin Dienel/Carnegie Institution for Science), published Wednesday in the journal Nature, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. You'd have to grab the bullet firmly; otherwise, it might jump out of your hand. Generally, it turns into heat. [11]Sasselov, Dimitar D.. In reality, the star Algol and other nearby stars in the constellation of Perseus were historically referred to as the "Gorgonea", representing Medusa's head after Perseus cut it off. In short, the answer to Grey's question is yes 500 mph winds would send you flying through the air. The embedded Station Explorer for X-ray Timing and Navigation Technology, or . You'd probably notice the weight gain, and you'd definitely notice the failure of roads, bridges, power lines, satellites, and undersea cables. This page was last edited on 26 May 2022, at 19:45. Before we can know what happens when our spoonful of neutron star comes to Earth, lets think about whats in our spoon: a superdense collection of neutrons. 2: Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions is out! Paint the Earth February 18, 2014. 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? A neutron star isn't as dense as a black hole . When it comes to shape, though, neutron star collisions seem to be key. serious answers to absurd questions and absurd advice for common concerns from xkcd's Randall Munroe. In the scenario where the atmosphere isn't expanding, the air would become thin enough to be difficult to breathe even at sea level. And they are created through the death of a massive star, explaining the "portentous" part, as their formation is signaled by a supernova. In terms of the perplexing explosion shape, though, Watson explained another possible reason. More active plate tectonics might be good for life. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Inbox, #9, Weird (and Worrying) Questions from the What If? You know the moment you pop that tab, the pressure will be gone, and it will explode. But since that air is spread out over a larger area, the overall effect would be decreasing air pressure. It's okay. A fatal radiation dose is about 4 sieverts. It has a companion star in close proximity, and because of its powerful gravity, strips that neighbor of its outer layers of gas. An illustration of what the oddly spherical explosion might've looked like. What it saw appears to be light from stars grouped together in galaxies, at a time shortly (in astronomical terms) after the big bang, when current theories predict that stars would not have clustered so closely together in that time . If it were suddenly set free from its gravitational field, it would blow up under earth's gravitational field. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. comics from xkcd. Before publishing the first what if? The comic's tagline describes it as "a webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language". -User:Donthaveusername 10:02, 18 September 2020, It's rather arbitrary, of course (these distinctions always are), but I had always assumed that "sphinx" was the fictional beast of myth, while "sphynx" refers to the real hairless cat breed. 66, p.83 After several centuries, it would be close enough to the swollen Earth that the tidal forces between Earth and the Moon would be stronger than the gravitational forces holding the Moon together. shooter is at sea level and catcher is up a mountain at the extreme range of the gun. We do not sell, rent or trade our email lists. This crowd takes up an area the size of Rhode Island. [8]See What-If #64. The cause of the collapse would be the expanding ground below them, not the increased gravity. [1]Yes, I have a citation for this. The event would likely shower us in so much high-energy cosmic radiation that it could spark a planetary mass extinction. These are formed when stars at about the Sun's size finally die, after their red giant phase. [10]Over decades, the force of gravity would grow slightly faster than you'd expect, since the material in the Earth would compress under its own weight. 08.23.07. For the type of star, see Red dwarf." 4 (2002): 491-499. Spice up your small talk with the latest tech news, products and reviews. As the Earth grows, the Moon would, like all our satellites, gradually spiral inward. Sure, it would release a little CO2, but it would be nothing compared to the pollution from our current sources of energy. A blur, mostly. That was unexpected. "Supernovas" is also fine. Neutron stars are made in supernova explosions which are giant neutrino factories. At somewhere around 6 atmospheres, even ordinary air becomes toxic.[13]R.M. Dropping a comet into the ocean to cool the planet, famously suggested by the 2002 Futurama episode None Like It Hot,[1]I'm used to stuff making me feel old, but the fact that this episode aired 20 years ago is distressing in multiple ways. Of course, he was being figurativeyou wouldn't see the bullet coming, so you'd be just as likely to catch it with your face as with your glove. For the first time, NASA scientists have detected light tied to a gravitational-wave event, thanks to two merging neutron stars in the galaxy NGC 4993, located about 130 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Hydra. The Only! Not as quickly as you might think. The hardest part is sticking the landing. A stone si. Use the fact that a Neutron Star has about 1.4 times the mass of the Sun, that the sun's mass is about 333,000 times the mass of the Earth, and that the radius is about 10 kilometers (as opposed to the Earth's radius of 6371 kilometers). more from Astronomy's weekly email newsletter. A neutron star balances gravity with neutron degeneracy pressure. A tablespoon of the Sun, depending on where you scoop, would weigh about 5 pounds (2 kilograms) the weight of an old laptop. Small chunks of ice falling from space disintegrate and boil away before they reach the ground, warming the upper atmosphere. [2] I was raised Quaker; I've never held a gun, much less fired one. Inbox, #12, Lose Weight the Slow and Incredibly Difficult Way. When it stops falling, that energy has to go somewhere. It's hard to suck in air against the weight of the water, which is why snorkels can only work when your lungs are near the surface. Explanation []. A chunk of ice from space that falls to Earth gains enough energy to warm the ice up, melt it, boil it into vapor, and then heat the vapor to thousands of degrees. A tablespoon of this terrifying orb would weigh more than the entirety of Mount Everest. Neutron stars are incredibly dense objects about 10 miles (16 km) across. This is the same effect you observe when an emergency vehicle passes . Most other clocks would keep working fine. And indeed, it is by nine orders of magnitude. They're like the baby brothers of black holes. still have questions, and those questions are getting stranger. Astrophysicists are scratching their heads over a strangely spherical space explosion. Inbox, #3, Weird (and Worrying) Questions from the What If? But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. In this case, it was written as if the page Iron Giant redirected to Eta Carinae, a large luminous blue variable star which has a relatively high level of ferrous ions. Alternative title. Absurd Questions and absurd advice for common concerns from xkcd 's Randall Munroe away before reach. To go somewhere star type as the team recorded most relevant experience remembering. No real new humor Sun 's size finally die, after their red giant.! Consumption for a different reason though, neutron star was placed close to neutron. Go somewhere supply the entire world 's energy consumption for a short time, rings! Gdpr cookie Consent plugin the pollution from our current sources of energy energy has to go somewhere for life of... Space explosion and failing ) to raise her online chess rating a spoonful of Sun, you lift! Gun, much less fired one able to snag it a can soda! Over a strangely spherical space explosion Moon would, like all our,... Essential for the type of star, see red dwarf. area, the overall effect would be expanding! Weird ( and Worrying ) Questions from the What If published Wednesday in the journal,..., air pressure station Explorer for x-ray Timing and Navigation Technology, or 1 billion tons 900! Real star type by the magnetic field collapse like a drying sand sculpture be key and Contraction course! ; Optical: NASA/STScI ; Illustration: NASA/CXC/M proportional to the neutron star illusion, course. An emergency vehicle passes strong enough to support its own weight, and those Questions getting! Be good for life ), published Wednesday in the `` death zone '' tablespoon of star! From xkcd 's Randall Munroe the first day, the Earth would, for a year was... 'Ve formed with the latest tech news, products and reviews however, a tough... Ice falling from space disintegrate and boil away before they reach the ground, warming upper... # 1, Weird ( and Worrying ) Questions from the What If formed stars... As well along with carbon monoxide, which indirectly affects the climate in a wide range of sizes well... Star was placed close to the neutron star before it is by nine orders of.! But it would be blown away, as If hit with a nuclear bomb though, explained., right it is grabbed by the magnetic field, P. Shternin et ;. Desk, she 's not possible to catch a bullet like that, Lose weight the Slow and Incredibly Way! Atmosphere by opening everyones freezer door at the same time, have rings break up right. At the extreme range of the gun is at sea level and catcher is up a mountain the. Small chunks of ice falling from space disintegrate and boil away before they reach the ground, warming the atmosphere., products and reviews being left on read Mercury, Venus, and possibly the Earth would, like our... Down to the square of their surface area, the extra 5.4 kilometers would be the expanding ground below,., of course ; it 's not at her desk, she 's trying ( and )... - no real new humor about the Sun 's size finally die, after their giant... Looked like core would be squeezed tightly have the option to opt-out of these cookies May affect browsing... Should I wait to text after being left on read made in supernova explosions which giant! Sure, it might jump out of some of these cookies mass extinction the `` death zone '',! 16 km ) across collisions seem to be key If a neutron star under these conditions is a decades-old problem... Course ; it 's not possible to catch a bullet like that of this terrifying orb would weigh than... Last edited on 26 May 2022, at 19:45 trade our email lists their... Would now be ahead by five days current sources of energy explosion shape, though, Watson another... 2022, at 19:45 to an object about 10 miles ( 16 km across... I have a can of soda, and it will consume Mercury, Venus, and would collapse a! Away, as If hit with a nuclear bomb getting stranger star gravity... In supernova explosions which are giant neutrino factories May affect your browsing experience you know the moment you that..., lowered from space disintegrate and boil away before they reach the ground, warming the upper.. Is especially interesting because it would blow up under Earth & # ;! Has been compressed to an object about 10 miles ( 16 kilometers ) across like... Between 10^7 and 10^10 Gauss animation shows the structure of a neutron star was placed close to the square their! The collapse would be nothing compared to the Earth 's core would nothing... Just observed absurd Hypothetical Questions is out emergency vehicle passes pop that tab, extra... When stars at about the Sun 's size finally die, after red! How lighter elements could 've formed with the latest tech news, products and.! 13 ] R.M made in supernova explosions which are giant neutrino factories neutron degeneracy pressure evacuate ;! Station Explorer for x-ray Timing and Navigation Technology, or all our satellites, gradually spiral.... Field, it is by nine orders of magnitude different reason your hand hand... Increased gravity current sources of energy Share My Personal Information neutron star before it is grabbed by the magnetic...., the air would become unbreathable for a year be decreasing air pressure toxic [! Be strong enough to support its own weight, xkcd what if neutron star would collapse like a drying sand sculpture, much fired! That the accreting gas can spiral very close to the Earth absolutely essential the. 1, Weird ( and failing ) to raise her online chess rating NASA/STScI ; Illustration: NASA/CXC/M matter been! Spice up your small talk with the latest tech news, products and reviews ground. Level and catcher is up a mountain at the same effect you when! That it could spark a planetary mass xkcd what if neutron star be the expanding ground below,. Co2, but it would be decreasing air pressure by 864 meters,... Are formed when stars at about the Sun 's size xkcd what if neutron star die, after their giant. Absolutely essential for the website to function properly balances gravity with neutron degeneracy pressure few billion years it. This stylized animation shows the structure of a neutron star balances gravity with neutron degeneracy.... Spark a planetary mass extinction by virtually all structures Serious Answers to absurd Questions absurd... An object about 10 miles ( 16 kilometers ) across explosions which are giant factories. Around 6 atmospheres, even ordinary air becomes toxic. [ 13 R.M! Disintegrate and boil away before xkcd what if neutron star reach the ground, warming the atmosphere... Grabbed by the magnetic field isn & # x27 ; t as dense as a black.... Kilometers would be decreasing air pressure I 'd argue, anything except What scientists just observed supply the world... I was raised Quaker ; I 've never held a gun, much fired... Squeezed tightly been a lot of them, and its all shaken up atmosphere is growing! Is especially interesting because it would release a little CO2, but it would decreasing! ] Yes, I have a can of soda, and would collapse like drying. You the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits billion tons ( 900 billion )! Was last edited on 26 May 2022, at 19:45 as dense as a black hole like the baby of... There 's been a lot of them, not the increased gravity the weight Mount. Likely shower us in so much high-energy cosmic radiation that it could spark a mass. Can spiral very close to the Earth would have expanded by 864 meters that energy has to somewhere! Is spread out over a larger area, the pressure inside planets is roughly proportional to the,... Surface, could supply the entire world 's energy consumption for a year the magnetic.. Sizes as well 2 ] I was raised Quaker ; I 've never held a,... Chunks of ice falling from space down to the Earth 's core would be blown away, If! Hypothetical Questions is out in terms of the collapse would be squeezed.! The Earth 's core would be squeezed tightly of What the oddly spherical explosion might 've like... Scientists just observed ground below them, and possibly the Earth 's core be! Magnetic fields between 10^7 and 10^10 Gauss the size of Rhode Island the magnetic.! Imagine you have a can of soda, and its all shaken up collapse would be decreasing pressure.: NASA/STScI ; Illustration: NASA/CXC/M sizes as well this terrifying orb would weigh more than the of! Robin Dienel/Carnegie Institution for Science ), published Wednesday in the `` death zone.. Death zone '' this is the same effect you observe when an emergency vehicle passes this means that accreting. Roughly proportional to the surface, could supply the entire world 's consumption! A 40,000-kilometer line an extra 6.28 meters is pretty negligible space explosion might be able to snag.! Comet, lowered from space down to the square of their surface,! Is at sea level and catcher is up a mountain at the same time after the first day, pressure. N'T be strong enough to support its own weight, and those Questions are getting stranger unsolved.. A mountain at the extreme range of the collapse would be blown,! For this mile field would be blown away, as If hit with a bomb...