Neutron stars are a class of very compact astrophysical objects which are remnants of massive stars that collapse after exhausting their capacity for thermonuclear burning in their interiors. The typical mass of a neutron star is about one and a half...

When a star comes to the end of its life-cycle, its demise is determined by its mass. An average star, like the Sun, will become a white dwarf star. More massive stars have a more violent end in store for them: a crushing gravitational collapse...

A neutron star is formed from the collapsed remnant of a massive star; i.e. a Type II, Type Ib, or Type Ic supernova. Models predict that neutron stars consist mostly of neutrons, hence the name. Such stars are very hot, as supported by the Pauli...

Neutron stars cram more mass than that of the sun into a sphere as wide as a city. A teaspoon's worth of a neutron star weighs in at a billion tons. Exotic though they may be, neutron stars are not what physicists would...

Many stars that begin life as heavy-weights die a spectacular death. Gravity squeezes the core of such stars so forcefully that protons and electrons fuse; the center becomes a ball of neutrons. A rebounding shock wave then moves out from the compact core,...

A new NASA space telescope will give scientists a peek at some of the most energetic objects and events in the universe. The new Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope to be launched next spring doesn't see visible light like our eyes, but gamma rays, the...