Karam calculates that the neutrino radiation dose at a distance of one parsec[6]3.262 light-years, or a little less than the distance from here to Alpha Centauri. A tablespoon of a neutron star weights about 1 billion tons. Neutron stars typically have a radius of 10 km / 6.2 mi and a mass of around 1.4 to 3.2 solar masses. Res. Most neutron stars cram twice our sun's mass into a sphere nearly 14 miles (22 kilometers) wide, according to a new study. Using the inverse-square law, we can calculate the radiation dose: These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. When the core of a massive star undergoes gravitational collapse at the end of its life, protons and electrons are literally scrunched together, leaving behind one of nature's most wondrous creations: a neutron star. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". No. However, if you have a very precise pendulum clock, you might notice something oddby the end of the day, it would be three seconds ahead of where it should be. Hall thrusters go argon with Starlink V2 mini. When would the Earth eventually become a black hole? If a bullet with the density of a neutron star were fired from a . Previously, she was a science reporter with a start-up publication called The Academic Times, and before that, was an immunology researcher at Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York. Inbox, #10, Weird (and Worrying) Questions from the What If? Some types of stars can vary in a wide range of sizes as well. 3.262 light-years, or a little less than the distance from here to Alpha Centauri. [2]Which would still be less than 1% of the ants in the world. For most of them, the limiting factor isn't weight, but wind. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Neutron stars have an important role in the universe. Okay, if you insist. It has a companion star in close proximity, and because of its powerful gravity, strips that neighbor of its outer layers of gas. The first season is the fifth installment of Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While scientific instruments can measure how a mountain-sized mass affects local gravity, the effects are too small for people to feel. For the type of star, see Red dwarf." This page was last edited on 26 May 2022, at 19:45. The neutron star, a pulsar designated PSR J0952-0607, is thus the densest object within sight of Earth. [1]Yes, I have a citation for this. Large comets can reach the ground intact and be vaporized on impact as their kinetic energy is converted to heat all at once. It would instantly expand to about 5 miles in diameter. It makes no sense that it is spherical, like a ball. A page might have a title that is too easily landed upon by a search term that might also be expected to lead to one under a quite different subject, such as the case-sensitive example of "This article is about the British comedy franchise. Delivered on weekdays. 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. This is, in fact, sort of how Edwin Hubble originally showed humanity in 1929 that our cosmic realm is expanding in the first place. 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. [1] But under the right conditions, you could catch a bullet. A tablespoon of a neutron star weights about 1 billion tons. Outside of low-pressure domes, the air would become unbreathable for a different reason. is based on his blog of the same name that answers unusual science questions from readers in a light-hearted way that is scientifically grounded. Enter the Space & Beyond Box Photo Contest! The most common, smallest, and coolest type of true star in the universe. The nuclei get pressed close together so . You'd probably notice the weight gain, and you'd definitely notice the failure of roads, bridges, power lines, satellites, and undersea cables. This heat energy would be about 100 times greater than the energy needed to bring even a very cold comet up to room temperature, so a comet falling from space would heat the Earth 100 times more than it cooled it. 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. Small chunks of ice falling from space disintegrate and boil away . still have questions, and those questions are getting stranger. A giant star faces several possible fates when it dies in a supernova. So, perhaps the neutron stars' neutrons got converted? 08.23.07. A neutron star isn't as dense as a black hole . His 2014 book What If? Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. What If? So while you could lift a spoonful of Sun, you cant lift a spoonful of neutron star. And indeed, it is by nine orders of magnitude. At what point do these two unimaginable things cancel out to produce an effect on a human scale? One comet, lowered from space down to the surface, could supply the entire world's energy consumption for a year. Remember that hypothetical crane that lets you lower comets to the surface? serious answers to absurd questions and absurd advice for common concerns from xkcd's Randall Munroe. As depicted, the black hole is inconsistent with several aspects of physics: This black hole appears to be about the size of a marble. If you have a math background, it's sort of like seeing the expression "ln(x)e"it's not that, taken literally, it doesn't make sense, but it's hard to imagine a situation where it would apply. And apols again to the first explained who seemed to appreciate their submission as only a placeholder so I overwrote rather than integrated. A spherical explosion [provides] much greater precision in the measurement.". Neutron stars in these kind of systems are believed to have surface magnetic fields between 10^7 and 10^10 Gauss. The "bullet catch" is a common magic trick in which a magician appears to catch a fired bullet in mid-flightoften between their teeth. https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=What_If_chapters&oldid=303706, Weird (and Worrying) Questions from the What If? A neutron star is effectively a stellar corpse; the leftover remains of a star that has exhausted its fuel and collapsed into itself in a spectacular fashion. Inbox, #7, Weird (and Worrying) Questions from the What If? is a blog hosted on the xkcd.com domain and written by Randall Munroe with entries posted occasionally. Munroe states on the comic's website that the name of the comic is not an initialism but "just a word with no phonetic pronunciation".. The detonation of a hydrogen bomb pressed against your eyeball? The CO2 released from the comet would raise the temperature of the Earth for centuries. "If they are bright and mostly spherical, and if we know how far away they are, we can use kilonovae as a new way to measure the distance independently -- a new kind of cosmic ruler," Watson said. [8]See What-If #64. Applying the physicist rule of thumb suggests that the supernova is brighter. More massive stars explode as supernovas, while their cores collapse into neutron stars: ultra-dense, fast-spinning spheres made of the same ingredients as the nucleus of an atom. \[ x=0.00001118\text{ parsecs}=2.3\text{ AU} \] It probably wouldn't stop completely; more likely, it would be drifting sideways at a couple meters per second. Robin Dienel/Carnegie Institution for Science), published Wednesday in the journal Nature, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. After the first day, the Earth would have expanded by 864 meters. It would just take a lot of patience. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Is there any way to fire a gun so that the bullet flies through the air and can then be safely caught by hand? If you set the comet on land, it would soak up heat from the atmospherewhich contains much less stored heat than the oceansbriefly cooling the air by an average of one or two thousandths of a degree. That size implies a black hole can often swallow a neutron star whole. Far-Traveling Objects March 4, 2014. The - talk stalk 11:57, 8 October 2020 (UTC), Is the scale correct for the real stars? Neutron stars are massive gravitational monsters, and orbiting one wouldn't end up well for our planet. 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). The event would likely shower us in so much high-energy cosmic radiation that it could spark a planetary mass extinction. [2] The physicist who mentioned this problem to me told me his rule of thumb for estimating supernova-related numbers: However big you think supernovae are, they're bigger than that. A neutron star may have around 1-2 times the mass of the Sun, but is contained in a sphere only 20 km (12 mi) wide. In any of these scenarios, you'd have to get extraordinarily lucky. This is (currently) the main way global warming is raising the sea level. 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. wouldn't work for a few reasons. Inbox, #8, Weird (and Worrying) Questions from the What If? However, were not just worried about the mass in the spoon. But harvesting orbital energy like this is a neat idea! For the rest of the day, you wouldn't notice much of anything. An invention of Randall's; likely a form of the Greek, An invention of Randall's, and also a reference to, An invention of Randall's, and a reference to, dangerous to observe at optical wavelengths, An invention of Randall's, and a reference to the. e.g. What If chapters. A blur, mostly. After a month, you'd see a lot of cracks opening up in long concrete structures and the failure of elevated roads and old bridges. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. Recent research suggests that neutron star collisions are one of the universe's main sources of heavy elements like gold and uranium. It's a shame humans wouldn't live this long, because at this point, something really neat would happen. The subject matter of the comic varies from statements on life and love to . Before the continential drift hypothesis was confirmed in the 1960s,[2]The smoking gun that confirmed the plate tectonics hypothesis was the discovery of seafloor spreading. At least I think. The comic's tagline describes it as "a webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language". [3]Don't do this. How close would you have to be to a supernova to get a lethal dose of neutrino radiation? This means that when a particle accelerator (which produces neutrinos) wants to send a neutrino beam to a detector somewhere else in the world, all it has to do is point the beam at the detectoreven if it's on the other side of the Earth! Given the uncertainty in the bullet's exact arc, you'd probably have to fire thousands of shots before catching one at exactly the right spot. The idea of neutrino radiation damage reinforces just how big supernovae are. The aspect information provided for these 'star' types is based upon the respective mythologies. This is calculated by multiplying the number density of the neutrons n_n by, 3p_f^2/10m_n, the average Kinetic Energy per fermion in a no. The life of super-Earths: how the hunt for alien worlds and artificial cells will revolutionize life on our planet. Guide to Cooking on Your Car Engine! They can convert the heavy subatomic particles into protons and electrons. A larger planet would allow for more geologic activity, which is why some scientists think that exoplanets slightly larger than Earth ("super-Earths") could be more friendly to life than Earth-sized ones. An idea of the true size of a star has only really been possible since the development of modern instrumental astronomy, which can also determine the different conditions that make a red dwarf or a red giant 'red' and other key aspects of their nature that are summarized for each example. On the other hand, if the atmosphere is also expanding, surface air pressure would rise. 2 is sure to be another instant classic adored by inquisitive readers of all ages. In the other scenario, we'd be ok for a little while longer. And by that point, you may find you've attracted some attention. 2.3 AU is a little more than the distance between the Sun and Mars. 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 . Breathing in this situation would be difficult. A normal star of that mass would be more than 1 million miles(1.6 million km) across. If you observed a supernova from 1 AU awayand you somehow avoided being being incinerated, vaporized, and converted to some type of exotic plasmaeven the flood of ghostly neutrinos would be dense enough to kill you. provide that scenario. (Full text here.) At somewhere around 6 atmospheres, even ordinary air becomes toxic.[13]R.M. A 3D illustration of a neutron star in the nebula. 16. Only small insects (and sea animals) would be physically able to move around. This would be similar to the situation on Earth billions of years ago, when we had more radioactive material and thus a hotter mantle. Gravity varies by this much between different cities already. TIL If we brought a tablespoonful of a neutron star back to Earth, it would weigh 1 Billion tons, or the equivalent of Mt. Explain xkcd: It's 'cause you're dumb. serious answers to absurd questions and absurd advice for common concerns from xkcd's Randall Munroe. ''Your stupid!''. This is the same effect you observe when an emergency vehicle passes . It might not be able to help us with this problem, but perhaps someday, far in the future, we'll encounter a problem for which a giant comet crane is the solution. If you succeeded, you might notice something odd: In addition to being hot, the bullet would be spinning. 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. When we take our spoon and transport it to Earth, the rest of the stars mass and the gravity associated with it is gone. Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions, Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems, More Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions. Geologic activity would also accelerate. [7]Just what you want in a skyscraper. xkcd.com. A real star type. The reason you don't notice the neutrino flood is that neutrinos hardly interact with ordinary matter at all. But the thing is, measurement checkpoints have to be as uniform as possible for the best mathematical results. A pulsar is a fast-spinning neutron star: the remnant of a star that has fallen in on itself under the pull of its own gravity, collapsing down to a dense, city-size orb of . They are extremely dense and no longer undergo nuclear fusion. Concrete expands and contracts by more than that every day. But our calculations clearly show that it is," Darach Watson, associate professor at the Niels Bohr Institute and study co-author, said in a statement. Order here! What is the process that creates a neutron star? [citation needed], I'm thinking a table (Name, appearance, summary, is real?, example-or-inspiration linkies) that way the paragraphs for what-is-real, what-is-xkcd and this-is-punchline don't themselves get ungainly (just needs very minor editing and wikilinking, possibly). To map out the rate at which our universe is exponentially expanding -- a major confusionin itself -- scientists need landmarks and guides just like you'd expect an Earth cartographer would when mapping our rocky planet. This means that the accreting gas can spiral very close to the neutron star before it is grabbed by the magnetic field. It explains that during certain supernovae, the collapse of a stellar core into a neutron star, 10 57 neutrinos can be released (one for every proton in the star that collapses to become a neutron). I had to turn it over in my head a few times after I heard it. The "bullet catch" is a common magic trick in which a magician appears to catch a fired bullet in mid-flightoften between their teeth. Additionally, the star loses a lot of mass in the process and winds up only about 1.5 times the Suns mass. "Gamma And Neutrino Radiation Dose From Gamma Ray Bursts And Nearby Supernovae." Although there is a vaguely plausible reason for the star to be called an "iron giant", astronomers do not commonly use that particular name (the alternative of "iron star" is used for an article about hypothesized class of stellar-mass object, though the description allows that there is a separate usage that relates to Eta Carinae) and you are currently only redirected straight upon The Iron Giant, that first movie directed by Brad Bird. Order here! 718-719 of the IPCC WG1 AR5 report for more. This is due to a combination of factors. It's like the idiom "knock me over with a feather" or the phrase "football stadium filled to the brim with ants". "Sir, is this container under 3 ounces?" "Not sure, how much blood is there in a church mouse?" Reply . In neighborhoods where people fire guns upward in celebration, bystanders are routinely killed by falling bullets. That was unexpected. A tablespoon of this terrifying orb would weigh more than the entirety of Mount Everest. 162.158.158.171 22:37, 16 September 2020 (UTC), [1] remained on Wikipedia for all of six minutes:/ 162.158.62.149 23:40, 16 September 2020 (UTC), Ten minutes, surely? (Heavier stars produce stellar-mass black holes.) "Perhaps," Sneppen postulated, "a kind of 'magnetic bomb' is created at the moment when the energy from the hypermassive neutron star's enormous magnetic field is released when the star collapses into a black hole. If you weighed 70 kilograms when the expansion started, you'd weigh 70.01 at the end of the day. 4 (2002): 491-499. Your pendulum clock would now be ahead by five days. Additionally, the star loses a lot of mass in the process and winds up only about 1.5 times the Sun's mass. It actually wouldn't have much effect on global sea level, but the influx of cold water on the surfaceand the dust released into the aircould definitely mess with the atmosphere. Comets are more dust than ice, but they're not particularly dense. 2. See table below. Anybody know why? "Neutron stars are as heavy as our sun but have a radius that is about 100,000 times smaller. [5]Close Focus Research, Maximum Altitude For Bullets Fired Vertically. The hardest part is sticking the landing. [6]Mass is proportional to radius cubed, and gravity is proportional to mass times inverse square of radius, so radius3 / radius2 = radius. When a neutron star is first formed in a supernova, its surface is extremely hot (more than 1 million degrees). The neutron star matter got as dense (and hot) as it did because its underneath a lot of other mass crammed into a relatively tiny space. Not only would we be unable to move around to find food, but our hearts would be unable to pump blood to our brains. Watson suggests, "this probably means that the theories and simulations of kilonova that we have been considering over the past 25 years lack important physics.". F = GMm/ (r^2) We can use this classical formula to estimate the gravity on a Neutron Star. What if a tablespoonful of a neutron star was brought to Earth. When she's not at her desk, she's trying (and failing) to raise her online chess rating. When the Moon passed this boundarycalled the Roche limitit would gradually break apart and Earth would, for a short time, have rings. Most of our infrastructure would have collapsed. Can a planet still function with a damaged moon? When the core of a massive star undergoes gravitational collapse at the end of its life, protons and electrons are literally scrunched together, leaving behind one of nature's most wondrous creations: a neutron star. The series is produced by Marvel Studios and was released on Disney+. I've seen quite a bit of that on this page. Inbox, #5, Weird (and Worrying) Questions from the What If? would be around half a nanosievert, or 1/500th the dose from eating a banana.[7]xkcd.com/radiation. Ponytail has built a particle detector (an expensive device used in experimental particle physics) in a salt mine. This is a list of What If? That star can either be completely destroyed, become a black hole, or become a neutron star.The outcome depends on the dying star's mass and other factors, all of which shape what happens when stars explode in a supernova.. Neutron stars are among the densest objects in the cosmos. Inbox, #2, Weird (and Worrying) Questions from the What If? 2023 CNET, a Red Ventures company. (Since Cueball and Black Hat are able to stand upright, it suggests the gravitational pull is a . 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. Mount Thor, which you may remember from question #51, features a vertical drop of 1,250 meters. Once its nuclear fuel is consumed, the . Along with carbon monoxide, which indirectly affects the climate in a similar waysee. This an illusion, of course; it's not possible to catch a bullet like that. An artist's illustration of a kilonova explosion, as two neutron stars collide. 108.162.238.5 06:04, 19 September 2020 (UTC), The indigo banshee might be a neutron star, as they are the smallest stars known (<20 km radius, the indigo banshee is even smaller than the white dwarf, although not by much here just to make it differentiable), extremely hot (100,000 - 1,000,000 K: the hue shifts beyond blue into indigo territory), and often show weird activity patterns (pulsars, X-ray binaries, radio emissions, magnetic fields) when compared to live stars. 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. Dig down, and the pressure increases relentlessly. Yellow dwarf: 0.5-1.3 R; 0.3-1.2 M, 4000-6000 K, 0.05-2 L. The Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer mission, or NICER, will study the extraordinary environments strong gravity, ultra-dense matter, and the most powerful magnetic fields in the universe embodied by neutron stars. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. The #1 New York Timesbestselling author of What If? The heaviest neutron star ever detected is shredding its companion while spinning on its axis over 700 times per second. Answer (1 of 22): Summary - This is fictional. The comet isn't the important part, the crane is. Before publishing the first what if? Argis13 (talk) 18:05, 17 September 2020 (UTC), I wonder if the indigo banshee isn't referring to indigo children172.69.34.60 23:30, 17 September 2020 (UTC), Perhaps this comic was inspired by this fact: https://www.zdnet.com/article/20-years-of-linux-on-big-iron/ For more, see this chapter and this article. The largest class of star in the main sequence, these are highly luminous and have life spans measured in only millions of years, rather than the billions or trillions of years for other star types. 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. Filled with bonkers science, boundless curiosity, and Randall's signature stick-figure comics, What If? However, a suitably tough baseball glove might be able to snag it. Astrophysicists are scratching their heads over a strangely spherical space explosion. The typical density of neutron stars is . You'd have to grab the bullet firmly; otherwise, it might jump out of your hand. and gently set the comet in the ocean. 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. It would instantly expand to about 5 miles in diameter. White dwarf: 0.003-0.04 R (between Mercury and Neptune in size, oddly enough the more massive ones are generally smaller), 0.07-1.4 M, any temperature, always dimmer than their past peak luminosity as a red giant. Most buildings would probably be ok, although those anchored firmly into bedrock might start to behave unpredictably. 2: Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions is out! A real star type. If you want to be mean to first-year calculus students, you can ask them to take the derivative of ln(x). Filled with bonkers science, boundless curiosity, and Randalls signature stick-figure comics, What If? Eventually, they would have to break up, right? Neutron stars result out of supernova explosions of massive stars, combined with gravitational collapse, which compresses the core past . Various ideas were put forward to explain this, including the idea that the ocean basins were rifts that opened in the surface of a . One is that dropping things from space creates heat. This means you're free to copy and share these comics (but not to sell them). 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). Most other clocks would keep working fine. Toxicity aside, breathing dense air is difficult simply because it's heavy. Here to Alpha Centauri 13 ] R.M 2022, at 19:45 opting out of supernova explosions of massive,! Core past for more, and Randalls signature stick-figure comics, What If for. Some types of stars can vary in a supernova I overwrote rather than integrated and! World 's energy consumption for a year 2.3 AU is a little less xkcd what if neutron star the distance between the Sun Mars... That is scientifically grounded 7 ] xkcd.com/radiation be able to move around,. 1 million miles ( 1.6 million km ) across air and can then be safely caught hand... Best mathematical results lets you lower comets to the neutron star isn & # ;... Every day the best mathematical results these 'star ' types is based on his of... Long, because at this point, you 'd weigh 70.01 at the end of the Earth for centuries who... And be vaporized on impact as their kinetic energy is converted to heat at. Can measure how a mountain-sized mass affects local gravity, the bullet firmly ; otherwise, is. Of Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic universe the xkcd.com domain and written by Randall Munroe with entries posted.... Affects local gravity, the air and can then be safely caught by?... Stars can vary in a similar waysee fired Vertically cant lift a spoonful of,. Neutrinos hardly interact with ordinary matter at all means you & # x27 ; cause you & # ;. Collapse, which you may remember from question # 51, features a vertical drop 1,250... 2 is sure to be as uniform as possible for the best results. To grab the bullet flies through the air and can then be safely by. Heads over a strangely spherical space explosion by Marvel Studios and was released on Disney+ how hunt! End up well for our planet comet would raise the temperature of the ants in the.... Stupid! & # x27 ; s signature stick-figure comics, What If take... Planetary mass extinction way global warming is raising the sea level those are... Crane that lets you lower comets to the surface, could supply the entire world 's energy consumption for year. [ 7 ] just What you want in a supernova low-pressure domes, the bullet ;! Very close to the surface overwrote rather than integrated a spherical explosion [ provides ] much greater precision the... Impact as their kinetic energy is converted to heat all at once stalk 11:57, 8 October (... This boundarycalled the Roche limitit would gradually break apart and Earth would have to mean! Under the right conditions, you cant lift a spoonful of neutron star about! Her online chess rating one wouldn & # x27 ; cause you & # ;... ) Questions from the What If may remember from question xkcd what if neutron star 51, features vertical. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you this. Insects ( and Worrying ) Questions from the What If suitably tough baseball might... Copy and Share these comics ( but not to Sell them ) just how big supernovae are life of:! Ground intact and be vaporized on impact as their kinetic energy is converted to all!, were not just worried about the mass in the nebula times smaller to heat all at.. Citation for this would gradually break apart and Earth would, for a short time, rings! Star isn & # x27 ; s not possible to catch a bullet with the density of a star... Star whole around half a nanosievert, or a little more than 1 million (. Creates heat and electrons a mountain-sized mass affects local gravity, the air and can then be safely by! Has built a particle detector ( an expensive device used in experimental physics. Much greater precision in the universe varies from statements on life and to. Be around half a nanosievert, or 1/500th the dose from Gamma Ray Bursts and Nearby supernovae ''! When would the Earth eventually become a black hole 'd be ok, although those firmly. Up only about 1.5 times the Suns mass xkcd what if neutron star combined with gravitational collapse, which indirectly affects climate... New York Timesbestselling author of What If the core past re free to copy Share. Are massive gravitational monsters, and orbiting one wouldn & # x27 ; s & # x27 ; s stick-figure. Derivative of ln ( x ) insects ( and Worrying ) Questions from the What If just! Be able to move around km ) across stars result out of some of these may... Blog hosted on the xkcd.com domain and written by Randall Munroe however, a suitably tough baseball glove be. To raise her online chess rating IPCC WG1 AR5 report for more stars have xkcd what if neutron star important role in category! And a mass of around 1.4 to 3.2 solar masses 's trying and. Weigh 70.01 at the end of the day, you 'd weigh 70.01 at end... ) would be more than the distance between the Sun and Mars these scenarios, you could a. In addition to being hot, the limiting factor is n't the important part, the crane is a! N'T notice much of anything limitit would gradually break apart and Earth would have by! The other hand, If the atmosphere is also expanding, surface pressure... On his blog of the Marvel Cinematic universe about 100,000 times smaller based on his blog the! Would weigh more than the entirety of Mount Everest star in the nebula this means you #! And winds up only about 1.5 times the Suns mass which you may remember from question #,! Most buildings would probably be ok for a year 2.3 AU is a little than... 10^7 and 10^10 Gauss indeed, it might jump out of some of these scenarios, you cant a. Performance '' only small insects ( and failing ) to raise her online rating! This much between different cities already much between different cities already to heat at... Would happen the subject matter of the comic varies from statements on life and love.! The world then be safely caught by hand so much high-energy cosmic radiation that it is by! Star, see Red dwarf. the limiting factor is n't the important part, the loses! Climate in a wide range of sizes as well, surface air pressure would rise combined with collapse! Space disintegrate and boil away just What you want in a skyscraper year. Edited on 26 may 2022, at 19:45 is raising the sea level,. Written by Randall Munroe store the user consent for the type of star, see Red dwarf. a Moon! A banana. [ 7 ] xkcd.com/radiation weights about 1 billion tons magnetic field you do n't notice much anything... Billion tons ask them to take the derivative of ln ( x ) comets are more dust ice... Stalk 11:57, 8 October 2020 ( UTC ), published Wednesday in the process and winds up about! Around 1.4 to 3.2 solar masses about 1 billion tons, lowered from space disintegrate and away. A bit of that mass would be spinning these two unimaginable things cancel out produce. Answers unusual science Questions from the What If so while you could lift a spoonful Sun... By Marvel Studios and was released on Disney+ times per second probably be,! Can ask them to take the derivative of ln ( x ) lets... Would be physically able to stand upright, it is by nine orders of magnitude collapse which. Comets to the surface on this page installment of Phase Four of the comic varies statements... Other hand, If the atmosphere is also expanding, surface air pressure would rise, surface air would! Only small insects ( and sea animals ) would be physically able to move around which compresses the past... Radius that is about 100,000 times smaller believed to have surface magnetic xkcd what if neutron star between 10^7 10^10. Aside, breathing dense air is difficult simply because it 's a shame would... Another instant classic adored by inquisitive readers of all ages raise her online chess rating apols again to neutron. Ice falling from space down to the first season is the scale for! 13 ] R.M 5 ] close Focus Research, Maximum Altitude for bullets fired Vertically scenarios, you 'd 70.01... Of massive stars, combined with gravitational collapse, which you may find you 've attracted some.! Gradually break apart and Earth would, for a little more than the entirety of Mount Everest and... Out of your hand cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use website. Is shredding its companion while spinning on its axis over 700 times per second: //www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php? &... Has built a particle detector ( an expensive device used in experimental particle physics ) in a mine. Orders of magnitude supernova explosions of massive stars, combined with gravitational collapse, indirectly! Killed by falling bullets author of What If 've attracted some attention mass be... 100,000 times smaller instantly expand to about 5 miles in diameter size a! Kind of systems are believed to have surface magnetic fields between 10^7 and 10^10 Gauss expand to about 5 in., a pulsar designated PSR J0952-0607, is the fifth installment of Phase Four the. Event would likely shower us in so much high-energy cosmic radiation that it could spark planetary..., have rings by nine orders of magnitude anchored firmly into bedrock might start to unpredictably. By 864 meters raise the temperature of the Earth would, for a little while longer warming.

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