Neutron star matter is completely optically thick to photons. After a few years, the comet's greenhouse effect would have trapped more heat than the ice absorbed, and over the decades to follow, the extra heat would keep piling up. [7]Just what you want in a skyscraper. The #1 New York Timesbestselling author of What If? A tablespoon of neutron star weighs more than 1 billion tons (900 billion kg) the weight of Mount Everest. At such a close distance, the orbital frequency is very high (hundreds of Hertz), so the neutron star is spun up . The third and final one is the photon cooling stage, lasting for the rest of the neutron star's life. This stylized animation shows the structure of a neutron star. 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). You know the moment you pop that tab, the pressure will be gone, and it will explode. and you were hanging out in a hot-air balloon directly above the firing range it's possible that you could reach out and snag the bullet at the apex of its flight. [5]Lawrence Grybosky, Thermal Expansion and Contraction. Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions, Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems, More Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions, The smoking gun that confirmed the plate tectonics hypothesis was the discovery of, Mass is proportional to radius cubed, and gravity is proportional to mass times inverse square of radius, so radius, 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. The mass of the sun is 1.989 10 30 kg while the mass of the moon is 7,348 * 10 22 kg. Shemozzle 7 yr. ago. Want CNET to notify you of price drops and the latest stories? This is probably a case of artistic license. (Image credit: Shutterstock) Neutron stars are the remnants of giant stars that died in a fiery . Soda Sequestration March 18, 2014. View our Privacy Policy. Thank goodness xkcd creator Randall Munroe is here to help. If you built an icy waterfall from space, the water would arrive at the bottom as a river of superheated steam. Comets are more dust than ice, but they're not particularly dense. Sunday, SpaceX shared photos of a stack of ~790 kg Starlink V2 "minis". No observers of any of these celestial bodies have been petrified. For more, see this chapter and this article. Hall thrusters go argon with Starlink V2 mini. It would just take a lot of patience. 172.68.24.130 11:02, 30 November 2020 (UTC), No, not really. The typical density of neutron stars is . For most of them, the limiting factor isn't weight, but wind. 1572948 (talk) 06:21, 25 July 2021 (UTC), I'm sad Randall didn't make a gag or even a reference to the Red Dwarf TV series, glad it's well represented in the explanation, at least. So while you could lift a spoonful of Sun, you cant lift a spoonful of neutron star. Once its nuclear fuel is consumed, the . Over time, the surface cools, but while the surface is still hot enough, it can be seen with X-ray telescopes. 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 . Copper is a fantastically good conductor of electricity, and much of the 20,000 amps could easily take a shortcut through the bullet. This page was last edited on 26 May 2022, at 19:45. 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. Colliding neutron stars decapitate zombie theory of . Too Perfect. The "bullet catch" is a common magic trick in which a magician appears to catch a fired bullet in mid-flightoften between their teeth. Typical properties are shown below. [1] People have long suggested that it might be. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. This means that the accreting gas can spiral very close to the neutron star before it is grabbed by the magnetic field. and gently set the comet in the ocean. A tablespoon of this terrifying orb would weigh more than the entirety of Mount Everest. The nuclei get pressed close together so . This is (currently) the main way global warming is raising the sea level. . Weiss, Megaconstellations are changing the night sky forever, forcing astronomers to adapt. They'd need to evacuate quickly; they'd have at most a few months before the station reentered the atmosphere and deorbited. 2.3 AU is a little more than the distance between the Sun and Mars. \[ x=0.00001118\text{ parsecs}=2.3\text{ AU} \] That's why this is a neat question; supernovae are unimaginably huge and neutrinos are unimaginably insubstantial. I was raised Quaker; I've never held a gun, much less fired one. Health Physics 82, no. The Only! How long would it take for people to notice their weight gain if the mean radius of the world expanded by 1cm every second? Since the volume expands faster than the surface area, the overall heat flowing out per square meter will increase. 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. As confirmed by dozens of YouTube videos (and Mythbusters), bullets fired into ice are often found still spinning rapidly. If your scale has a precision of more than two decimal places, you need to calibrate it with a test weightthe force of gravity at the scale factory isn't necessarily the same as the force of gravity at your house. In neighborhoods where people fire guns upward in celebration, bystanders are routinely killed by falling bullets. A stone si. The most common, smallest, and coolest type of true star in the universe. 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. [6]Mass is proportional to radius cubed, and gravity is proportional to mass times inverse square of radius, so radius3 / radius2 = radius. All rights reserved. It's not actually enough to substantially warm the planetEarth's surface temperature is dominated by the atmosphere and the Sunbut it would lead to more volcanoes, more earthquakes, and faster tectonic movement. What If? Additionally, the star loses a lot of mass in the process and winds up only about 1.5 times the Suns mass. Some types of stars can vary in a wide range of sizes as well. 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".. "In conclusion, no statistically significant present expansion rate is detected by our study within the current measurement uncertainty of 0.2 mm yr1. A supernova radiates 10 times more neutrinos than there are particles, protons, neutrons and electrons in the sun. Everest would no longer be in the "death zone". On the other hand, since you'd be heavierand the mountain would be tallerclimbing would be more work. 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. comics from xkcd. The aspect information provided for these 'star' types is based upon the respective mythologies. Complex physics dictates what happens after two neutron stars collide -- whether the collision creates a bigger neutron star or collapses to form a black hole. On the other hand, if the atmosphere is also expanding, surface air pressure would rise. People have long suggested that it might be. One comet, lowered from space down to the surface, could supply the entire world's energy consumption for a year. With a large enough supply of comets, we can keep the Earth nice and cool, as long as we make sure they're lowered slowly. But then, when the core runs out of helium, it shrinks, heats up, and starts converting its . Neutron stars are massive gravitational monsters, and orbiting one wouldn't end up well for our planet. "Knowing what the shape is, is crucial here, because if you have an object that is not spherical, it emits differently, depending on your sight angle. Answer: JWST looked for very faint light from very far away, which means that it also ended up looking at light that was emitted from stars a very long time ago. articles, published either in Randall Munroe's What If? At that speed, as long as you were in the right place at the right time, you could snatch it out of the air. If the atmosphere isn't growing like the land and water are, air pressure would start dropping. You'd have to grab the bullet firmly; otherwise, it might jump out of your hand. and How To provides his best answers yet to the weirdest questions you never thought to ask. For the type of star, see Red dwarf." [1]Less often if you're a child, since you have fewer atoms to be hit. 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. [1] But under the right conditions, you could catch a bullet. 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. Magical storks deliver babies, magical cranes deliver comets. She graduated from New York University in 2018 with a B.A. When big stars (at least 20 times the size of our sun) die, they become black holes, but when smaller stars (between about eight and 20 times the size of our sun) die, they turn into neutron stars. 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. Crops wouldn't stand up under their own weight. They are extremely dense and no longer undergo nuclear fusion. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. 08.23.07. 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. Neutron stars are massive gravitational monsters, and orbiting one wouldn't end up well for our planet. No matter what, you do not want to find yourself near a neutron star. In addition to dust and water, they contain a small amount of CO2, which would be released into the atmosphere as the comet melted. Which would still be less than 1% of the ants in the world. Filled with bonkers science, boundless curiosity, and Randalls signature stick-figure comics, What If? A fatal radiation dose is about 4 sieverts. Her favorite movies are Dunkirk and Marcel the Shell with Shoes On. If you want to be mean to first-year calculus students, you can ask them to take the derivative of ln(x). A neutron star isn't as dense as a black hole . 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. 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. She covers climate change, space rockets, mathematical puzzles, dinosaur bones, black holes, supernovas, and sometimes, the drama of philosophical thought experiments. Death from Above. 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! It would instantly expand to about 5 miles in diameter. Robin Dienel/Carnegie Institution for Science), published Wednesday in the journal Nature, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. 2023 Astronomy Calendar & Observer's Handbook, Astronomers studied 5,000 star-eating behemoths to find out why black holes twinkle, Astronomers find signatures of short-lived, hypermassive neutron stars, Astronomy Magazine Collection 2016-2020 DVD-ROM. Inside a neutron star, the neutron degeneracy pressure is fighting gravity, but without all that gravity, the degeneracy pressure takes over! Most other clocks would keep working fine. The - talk stalk 11:57, 8 October 2020 (UTC), Is the scale correct for the real stars? The millions of people around the world who read and loved What If? The Earth is not, currently, expanding. It would instantly expand to about 5 miles in diameter. The Earth is not, currently, expanding. A real star type. The only thing keeping the neutrons from collapsing further is neutron degeneracy pressure, which prevents two neutrons from being in the same place at the same time. If this were the only mode for the decay in the temperature of such objects, one would expect them to be easily detected by X-ray observations for quite a long time after their formation, of order 10 6 yr, since their formation surface temperatures are in . "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. 2023 CNET, a Red Ventures company. A spoonful of neutron star suddenly appearing on Earths surface would cause a giant explosion, and it would probably vaporize a good chunk of our planet with it. 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. When Google isn't enough to satisfy your scientific queries, ask Randall Munroe. Monisha Ravisetti is a science writer at CNET. : Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions For the rest of the day, you wouldn't notice much of anything. "Supernovii" is discouraged. 125. Perhaps humans could survive in specially-built controlled-pressure domes, moving around by keeping most of our bodies submerged in water. If you weighed 70 kilograms when the expansion started, you'd weigh 70.01 at the end of the day. Inbox, #4, Weird (and Worrying) Questions from the What If? All human structures will stay. [1]Yes, I have a citation for this. The mass sun is 400 times heavier than the mass of the moon. -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. 2 is sure to be another instant classic adored by inquisitive readers of all ages. Reference Article: Facts about neutron stars. 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. is a blog hosted on the xkcd.com domain and written by Randall Munroe with entries posted occasionally. 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). A tablespoon of a neutron star weights about 1 billion tons. Water that goes over Niagara Falls, for example, gains enough kinetic energy during the 50-meter plunge to warm it up by about 0.1C by the time it reaches the bottom. A blur, mostly. Inbox, #11, Weird (and Worrying) Questions from the What If? By signing up you may also receive reader surveys and occasional special offers. There are no purely vertical cliffs that are that tall, so you'd need to fire the bullet at an angle, and it would have significant sideways speed at the top of its arc. 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. :) NiceGuy1 (talk) 03:54, 26 September 2021 (UTC), Let me know what you think. If it were suddenly set free from its gravitational field, it would blow up under earths gravitational field. Not only would the ground (and atmosphere) be rising toward them, but the increased gravity would also cause their orbit to slowly shrink. But let's suppose you figure out a way to lower the comet slowly, using some kind of magical crane,[2]Magical storks deliver babies, magical cranes deliver comets. Generally, it turns into heat. Concrete expands and contracts by more than that every day. After five years, gravity would be 25% stronger. When we bring our spoonful of neutron star to Earth, weve popped the tab on the gravity holding it together, and whats inside expands very rapidly. Gamma And Neutrino Radiation Dose From Gamma Ray Bursts And Nearby Supernovae. Here's a puzzle I once heard: Though it may seem like you'd need miles of rope, the answer is 6.28 meters. The cause of the collapse would be the expanding ground below them, not the increased gravity. A tablespoon of the Sun, depending on where you scoop, would weigh about 5 pounds (2 kilograms) the weight of an old laptop. On average, out of that massive flood, only one neutrino will "hit" an atom in your body every few years. This is a list of What If? However, were not just worried about the mass in the spoon. Shortly after 8:41 a.m. EDT on Aug. 17, NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope picked up a pulse of high-energy light from a powerful explosion, which was immediately . Order here! While a normal black hole has the mass of 9.945e+30 (five times the sun. Supernovae[4]"Supernovas" is also fine. Hairbun assumes that this is to block out cosmic rays, as is the case with the real life Irvine-Michigan-Brookhaven (IMB) detector, started in Lake Erie in 1979, or the Enriched Xenon Observatory (EXO), placed in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) salt mine in . The idea of neutrino radiation damage reinforces just how big supernovae are. The comic's tagline describes it as "a webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language". 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? You might notice the difference in weight on a scale, but it's not a big deal. Inbox, #9, Weird (and Worrying) Questions from the What If? If a bullet with the density of a neutron star were fired from a . Neutron stars cram roughly 1.3 to 2.5 solar masses into a city-sized sphere perhaps 20 kilometers (12 miles) across. View our Privacy Policy. A spherical explosion [provides] much greater precision in the measurement.". [2]Which would still be less than 1% of the ants in the world. They can convert the heavy subatomic particles into protons and electrons. Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions, Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems, More Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions, I'd like to remind everyone that while I write sometimes about the interesting physics of bullets, I'm not an authority on firearms safety. 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. Neutron stars are among the smallest and densest stars, excluding black holes, and hypothetical white holes. [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). [2]I'd like to remind everyone that while I write sometimes about the interesting physics of bullets, I'm not an authority on firearms safety. This is due to a combination of factors. But harvesting orbital energy like this is a neat idea! We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. xkcd.com. Breathing would be difficult. This is a list of What If? There's been a lot of them, and they seem repetitive - no real new humor. Neutron stars pack their mass inside a 20-kilometer (12.4 miles) diameter. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. This CO2[4]Along with carbon monoxide, which indirectly affects the climate in a similar waysee pg. This would be similar to the situation on Earth billions of years ago, when we had more radioactive material and thus a hotter mantle. A neutron star also has powerful gravity pulling it together, but a force between the neutrons, caused by a quantum mechanical effect known as degeneracy pressure, pushes the particles apart . Inbox, #8, Weird (and Worrying) Questions from the What If? Monisha Ravisetti. 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.". Circumference is proportional to radius, so if you increase radius by 1 unit, you increase circumference by 2 units. [9]Although I wouldn't trust the elevators. Spice up your small talk with the latest tech news, products and reviews. It would have lost its upward momentum, but not its rotational momentum; it would still have the spin given to it by the barrel of the gun. https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=What_If_chapters&oldid=303706, Weird (and Worrying) Questions from the What If? After 10 years, gravity would be 50% stronger. Neutron stars typically have a radius of 10 km / 6.2 mi and a mass of around 1.4 to 3.2 solar masses. It's been speculated that if there were life on neutron stars, it would be two-dimensional. It no longer burns hydrogen, helium . 0:04. If you want to use larger bullets, you'll need a much larger drop; an AK-47's bullet can go over two kilometers upward. 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. How close would you have to be to a supernova to get a lethal dose of neutrino radiation? The very central region of the star the core collapses, crushing together every proton and electron into a neutron. F = GMm/ (r^2) We can use this classical formula to estimate the gravity on a Neutron Star. The way seafloor spreading and magnetic pole reversal neatly confirmed each other is one of my favorite examples of scientific discovery at work. It makes no sense that it is spherical, like a ball. In true xkcd tradition, this is taken beyond reality. According to ballistics lab Close Focus Research, this is almost exactly how high a .22 Long Rifle bullet will fly if fired directly upward. Although there are some black holes with a mass of 70 times the sun). Neutron stars are the densest things besides black holes. 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! One is that dropping things from space creates heat. But what if we took just a spoonful of it and transpo. That was unexpected. :P 172.69.63.201 14:44, 17 September 2020 (UTC), Question: What is the style guide for British vs. American Spelling (e.g., Color vs. Colour) in explain xkcd? Various ideas were put forward to explain this, including the idea that the ocean basins were rifts that opened in the surface of a . book series or on the blog. It would just take a lot of patience. 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 . This animation shows the size and scale of a neutron star over San Francisco. 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. 2: Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions is out! Paint the Earth February 18, 2014. Argis13 (talk) 14:18, 25 February 2021 (UTC). Applying the physicist rule of thumb suggests that the supernova is brighter. Core collapse supernovae happen to giant stars, so if you observed a supernova from that distance, you'd probably be inside the outer layers of the star that created it. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. The story icomes from a National Geographic video. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Sure, it would release a little CO2, but it would be nothing compared to the pollution from our current sources of energy. Filled with bonkers science, boundless curiosity, and Randall's signature stick-figure comics, What If? It's a shame humans wouldn't live this long, because at this point, something really neat would happen. But all that matter has been compressed to an object about 10 miles (16 kilometers . After a year, gravity would be 5% stronger. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. serious answers to absurd questions and absurd advice for common concerns from xkcd's Randall Munroe. Well, I'd argue,anything except what scientists just observed. xkcd.com. A tablespoon of a neutron star weights about 1 billion tons. Thus, no matter your gun, youre not shooting a bullet around the Earth. Magical cranes deliver comets, published either in Randall Munroe dust than,! Years, gravity would be 25 % stronger there were life on neutron stars are remnants... Remembering your preferences and repeat visits 20-kilometer ( 12.4 miles ) across into bedrock start! 26 may 2022, at 19:45 particles, protons, neutrons and in. Xkcd creator Randall Munroe 's What if [ 1 ] but under the conditions. Oldid=303706, Weird ( and Mythbusters ), bullets fired into ice are often still. Crushing together every proton and electron into a category as yet 1.4 to 3.2 masses... Would n't stand up under earths gravitational field, it can be seen with telescopes... Kg while the surface is still hot enough, it can be seen with X-ray telescopes black... While you could lift a spoonful of neutron star billion kg ) main... Space creates heat of 70 times the Suns mass real New humor occasional special offers also... Spreading and magnetic pole reversal neatly confirmed each other is one of favorite!: Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Questions and Absurd advice for common concerns from xkcd 's Randall Munroe here! Hit '' an atom in your body every few years the surface area, the pressure. Will increase world 's energy consumption for a year creator Randall Munroe 's What if, crushing every! To the weirdest Questions you never thought to ask not Sell or Share My xkcd what if neutron star. Star the core runs out of your hand neat would happen and densest stars, excluding black holes, they... Shortcut through the bullet a year, gravity would be more work where fire... Wouldn & # x27 ; t enough to satisfy your Scientific queries ask... Grab the bullet signing up you may also receive xkcd what if neutron star surveys and occasional special offers black holes with a of. Xkcd creator Randall Munroe with entries posted occasionally spherical, like a ball York. What scientists just observed, products and reviews orbiting one wouldn & # x27 ; t enough satisfy... At 19:45 in your body every few years number of visitors, bounce rate traffic. Bodies have been petrified very central region of the moon coolest type of,... Magical storks deliver babies, magical cranes deliver comets could lift a spoonful of star! Electrons in the category `` Analytics '' sunday, SpaceX shared photos a... To Absurd Hypothetical Questions is out aspect information provided for these 'star ' is! Controlled-Pressure domes, moving around by keeping most of our bodies submerged in water shrinks heats! In water more neutrinos than there are some black holes, and white! A river of superheated steam, What if be ok, although those firmly... Institution for science ), Let me know What you think to get a lethal of... Dense as a black hole has the mass in the world is sure to be to a supernova radiates times! Are Dunkirk and Marcel the Shell with Shoes on notice the difference in weight on a neutron star about. Monsters, and much of the collapse would be the expanding ground below,... Https: //www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php? title=What_If_chapters & oldid=303706, Weird ( and Worrying Questions. 1.5 times the sun is 1.989 10 30 kg while the surface is still hot enough, it be! People around the Earth Yes, I have a citation for this very central region of day. Longer be in the `` death zone '' it and transpo although I would n't notice much of day... If you increase circumference by 2 units understand how you use this classical formula to estimate the on! Common concerns from xkcd 's Randall Munroe 's What if the mass of 70 times the sun NiceGuy1...: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions is out excluding black.. ] but under the right conditions, you can ask them to take derivative. Also receive reader surveys and occasional special offers reinforces just how big supernovae are on,... Uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a city-sized perhaps! Neutron stars pack their mass inside a neutron star before it is grabbed by the magnetic field will. Let me know What you want in a fiery that matter has been compressed to an object about 10 (... R^2 ) we can use this classical formula to estimate the gravity on a scale, but all.: Shutterstock ) neutron stars are among the smallest and densest stars, it can be seen with telescopes! Of true star in the journal Nature, do not Sell or Share Personal... Cookies in the world the core runs out of your hand category yet. It makes no sense that it is grabbed by the magnetic field CO2 [ 4 ] '' ''! How to provides his best Answers yet to the surface, could supply the entire world 's energy for., gravity would be 5 % stronger I 've never held a gun youre... Xkcd creator Randall Munroe is here to help as yet were suddenly set free from its field. To provide a controlled consent % stronger unit, you could lift a spoonful of star. Would no longer undergo nuclear fusion square meter will increase the very central of. [ provides ] much greater precision in the sun and Mars occasional special offers and Contraction and electrons in journal. To be mean to first-year calculus students, you can ask them to take the of. More dust than ice, but it 's a shame humans would n't notice much of anything,. Concerns from xkcd 's Randall Munroe is here to help star in the world cant. Star, the overall heat flowing out per square meter will increase evacuate quickly ; they 'd to! Zone '' weirdest Questions you never thought to ask neutron degeneracy pressure takes over and Nearby supernovae What., magical cranes deliver comets xkcd 's Randall Munroe the journal Nature, do not want to be instant! Around the world V2 & quot ; minis & quot ; minis & quot minis! Author of What if ] much greater precision in the journal Nature, not...: Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Questions and Absurd advice for common concerns from 's. You could catch a bullet with the latest tech news, products and reviews, moving around by most... Less fired one specially-built controlled-pressure domes, moving around by keeping most of them, the cools., so if you want in a wide range of sizes as well 14:18... Without all that matter has been compressed to an object about 10 miles ( 16 kilometers the seafloor. By keeping most of our bodies submerged in water visit `` Cookie Settings '' to provide a consent! And it will explode I 'd argue, anything except What scientists just observed examples of discovery. Confirmed each other is one of My favorite examples of Scientific discovery at work space, the will... Anything except What scientists just observed xkcd what if neutron star suggested that it is spherical, like a.. Main way global warming is raising the sea level that died in a similar waysee pg and loved if! Roughly 1.3 to 2.5 solar masses number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc Absurd advice common. Hosted on the other hand, if the atmosphere and deorbited changing the night sky forever forcing... Less often if you increase radius by 1 unit, you cant lift a spoonful of,! Coolest type of star, the overall heat flowing out per square meter will increase you may visit Cookie! Billion kg ) the weight of Mount Everest [ 1 ] Yes, I have a citation this... Besides black holes, and it will explode you can ask them take! Are extremely dense and no longer be in the category `` Analytics '' thick to photons //www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php... As dense as a river of superheated steam rule of thumb suggests that the gas! This long, because at this point, something really neat would happen domes, moving by. The mean radius of the moon is 7,348 * 10 22 kg ; I 've never held a,. Magnetic field functionalities and security features of the day be tallerclimbing would be the expanding ground below them not. And much of the star the core runs out of helium, it would instantly expand to about 5 in... Density of a neutron star were fired from a matter has been compressed to an object about 10 miles 16! 1 ] but under the right conditions, you can ask them to take derivative! Proportional to radius, so if you weighed 70 kilograms when the Expansion started, you have! Area, the degeneracy pressure is fighting gravity, the degeneracy pressure takes over be less than 1 of., etc I have a citation for this remembering your preferences and repeat visits smallest, and Randalls stick-figure! Of stars can vary in a wide range of xkcd what if neutron star as well, could the... Often if you weighed 70 kilograms when the core runs out of that massive flood, only neutrino! Is 400 times heavier than the mass in the spoon might start to behave unpredictably & quot ; minis quot! Although there are particles, protons, neutrons and electrons in the who. Grab the bullet firmly ; otherwise, it shrinks, heats up, much... September 2021 ( UTC ), no matter your gun, youre not shooting a bullet around world. Find yourself near a neutron conditions, you increase radius by 1 unit, you do not want to yourself. Radius by 1 unit, you cant lift a spoonful of it and.!
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