Neutron Stars : Discovery News

Was Christmas Flash a Neutron Star-Comet Clash?

Posted Wed Nov 30, 2011 02:24 PM ET | 0

The "gamma-ray burst" seen on Christmas Day last year may have actually been a comet being eaten by a distant neutron star. Read more

Gold-Flecked Stars Give Hint to Past Lives

Posted by Irene Klotz Mon Nov 28, 2011 09:00 AM ET | 0

Ancient stars inherited their gold from an earlier generation. Read more

Alien Life May Live in Various Habitable Zones

Posted by Ray Villard Fri Nov 18, 2011 03:16 PM ET | 0

The "classic" habitable zone is defined as the location around a star where a planet can sustain liquid water -- but this may not be the only life-supporting substance. Is there more than one habitable zone? Read more

Alien Life May Live in Various Habitable Zones

Can Neutron Stars Crush Neutrons into Cubes?

Posted by Ian O'Neill Tue Aug 16, 2011 11:23 PM ET | 0

Inside the most massive neutron stars, matter may take on a more-exotic-than-usual quantum characteristic. Read more

Can Neutron Stars Crush Neutrons into Cubes?

How to Build a Neutron Star

Posted by Ian O'Neill Tue Dec 14, 2010 06:48 AM ET | 0

Scientists can probe the conditions just after the Big Bang. They can detonate a supernova in a test tube. They can even study black holes. What about neutron stars? Read more

Closing in on Gravitational Waves

Posted by Jennifer Ouellette Fri Dec 10, 2010 12:08 AM ET | 0

As the hunt for gravitational waves intensifies, a graduate student has an idea as to where the gravitational wave detectors should be looking. Read more

How to Use a Pulsar to Find Starbucks

Posted Wed Nov 24, 2010 10:21 AM ET | 0

Cosmic GPS would employ pulsing stars, not satellites, as celestial beacons. Read more

Black Hole Baby Spotted Being Born

Posted by Larry O'Hanlon Mon Nov 15, 2010 02:59 PM ET | 0

For the first time ever, a black hole has been seen being born out of a supernova of a star perhaps 20 times the mass of our sun. Read more

New Neutron Star Largest Ever Discovered

Posted by Irene Klotz Wed Oct 27, 2010 01:30 PM ET | 0

Located about 3,000 light-years away, the neutron star also provides a very direct measure of Einstein's theory of general relativity. Read more

Why Does a Star Explode?

Posted by Robert Lamb Thu Sep 23, 2010 08:36 AM ET | 0

Nothing lights up the cosmos like a supernova. But why does a star explode to begin with? Read more

X-Ray Pulsar Eclipse Reveals Neutron Star's Secrets

Posted by Nicole Gugliucci Thu Aug 19, 2010 04:32 AM ET | 0

What's in a neutron star? Well, neutrons, obviously. However, despite the deceptively simple label, the inner workings of neutron stars remain elusive. But that could soon change. Read more

X-Ray Pulsar Eclipse Reveals Neutron Star's Secrets

Supernova Explosion Rich With Calcium

Posted by Irene Klotz Thu May 20, 2010 11:00 AM ET | 0

A new type of supernova explosion could explain the origin of the calcium in our teeth and bones. Read more

Shedding New Light on a Pulsar Mystery

Posted by Nicole Gugliucci Tue Apr 27, 2010 07:39 PM ET | 0

The fledgling Low Frequency Array (LOFAR) is teaming up with other radio telescopes to probe the beams of intense radiation emitted by pulsars, potentially answering the mystery as to how they are generated. Read more

The Neutron Star Cooling Mystery

Posted by Nicole Gugliucci Mon Apr 19, 2010 12:43 AM ET | 0

A cooling neutron star has been probed in the hope of understanding its interior. However, using data from the Chandra X-ray Telescope, researchers have returned more questions than answers. Read more

Exotic 'Electroweak' Star Predicted

Posted by Ian O'Neill Sat Apr 3, 2010 12:16 AM ET | 0

When a star dies, depending on its mass, it will form a white dwarf, neutron star or a black hole. Or will it? Perhaps there's an intermediate "electroweak" phase that may save the remnant from black hole doom. Read more