A giant star faces several possible fates when it dies in a supernova. They'd need to evacuate quickly; they'd have at most a few months before the station reentered the atmosphere and deorbited. what if? Yellow dwarf: 0.5-1.3 R; 0.3-1.2 M, 4000-6000 K, 0.05-2 L. Inbox, #4, Weird (and Worrying) Questions from the What If? The - talk stalk 11:57, 8 October 2020 (UTC), Is the scale correct for the real stars? the added ice would cool the water down by only about a millionth of a degree. A spherical explosion [provides] much greater precision in the measurement.". xkcd.com. Not only would we be unable to move around to find food, but our hearts would be unable to pump blood to our brains. "Supernovas" is also fine. After 100 years, we'd be experiencing over six gees of gravity. At what point do these two unimaginable things cancel out to produce an effect on a human scale? Imagine you have a can of soda, and its all shaken up. Comets are more dust than ice, but they're not particularly dense. Typical properties are shown below. Answer (1 of 22): Summary - This is fictional. What would happen if everyone on earth stood as close to each other as they could and jumped, everyone landing on the ground at the same instant? 172.68.24.118 13:53, 18 September 2020 (UTC), Um, I didnt have to solve a catchpa to edit. It looks like it should be "1" or something, but it's not. On the other hand, if the atmosphere is also expanding, surface air pressure would rise. No matter what, you do not want to find yourself near a neutron star. Most of the Earth's heat is provided by radioactive decay of minerals in the crust and mantle,[12]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. But what if we took just a spoonful of it and transpo. Mount Thor, which you may remember from question #51, features a vertical drop of 1,250 meters. 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. where m is the mass of the neutron and h is Planck's constant. This effect can be seen, dramatically, when a bullet is fired at ice. A real star type. Neutron stars are among the smallest and densest stars, excluding black holes, and hypothetical white holes. Too Perfect. This is probably a case of artistic license. If a bullet with the density of a neutron star were fired from a . 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. Concrete expands and contracts by more than that every day. Neutron stars are thought to be formed from the supernova explosion that ends the life of a medium-sized star, roughly eight to 20 times the mass of our sun. 08.23.07. This note was added to Wikipedia, but quickly removed. 3.262 light-years, or a little less than the distance from here to Alpha Centauri. The nature of matter under these conditions is a decades-old unsolved problem. #HowTheUniverseWorksA neutron star is one of the most dangerous objects in the universe. To detect neutrinos, people build giant tanks filled with hundreds of tons of material in the hopes that they'll register the impact of a single solar neutrino. If you weighed 70 kilograms when the expansion started, you'd weigh 70.01 at the end of the day. The event would likely shower us in so much high-energy cosmic radiation that it could spark a planetary mass extinction. Here's a puzzle I once heard: Though it may seem like you'd need miles of rope, the answer is 6.28 meters. As he consistently demonstrates, you can learn a lot from examining how the world might work in very specific extreme circumstances. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". Reference Article: Facts about neutron stars. It's hard to answer that, because the premise of the question is that the radius is steadily expanding while the density stays the samewhereas a black hole, the density increases. Everest. 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. The most common, smallest, and coolest type of true star in the universe. [14]Plummer, H. C., Note on the motion about an attracting centre of slowly increasing mass, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Vol. In the other scenario, we'd be ok for a little while longer. 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. What if neutron star bullet? Inbox, #7, Weird (and Worrying) Questions from the What If? shooter is at sea level and catcher is up a mountain at the extreme range of the gun. would change Earth's radiation balance, trapping heat near the surface and raising the planet's temperature. The first season is the fifth installment of Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While you might not notice the increased gravity just yet, you'd notice the expansion. The aspect information provided for these 'star' types is based upon the respective mythologies. Maybe its time for a brief introduction to thermodynamics. xkcd.com; what if? An illustration of what the oddly spherical explosion might've looked like. : Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions Perhaps humans could survive in specially-built controlled-pressure domes, moving around by keeping most of our bodies submerged in water. articles, published either in Randall Munroe's What If? We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. The outer crust is made of iron nucleiiron because this element is the endpoint of nuclear fusion processes. [5]Close Focus Research, Maximum Altitude For Bullets Fired Vertically. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". 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. Hall thrusters go argon with Starlink V2 mini. This is a list of What If? Delivered on weekdays. This is a good thing to keep in mind if you buy a digital scale. On average, out of that massive flood, only one neutrino will "hit" an atom in your body every few years. This animation shows the size and scale of a neutron star over San Francisco. It's a shame humans wouldn't live this long, because at this point, something really neat would happen. 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. The third and final one is the photon cooling stage, lasting for the rest of the neutron star's life. When stars at about the Sun's size begin to run out of fusion fuel, they expand to become red giants, and the outer shells expand and cool. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. Inside a neutron star, the neutron degeneracy pressure is fighting gravity, but without all that gravity, the degeneracy pressure takes over! Want CNET to notify you of price drops and the latest stories? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions, Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems, More Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions. The millions of people around the world who read and loved What If? As gravity increases, then air gets heavier. When our sun enters this phase in a few billion years, it will consume Mercury, Venus, and possibly the Earth. 0:04. [1] But under the right conditions, you could catch a bullet. You know the moment you pop that tab, the pressure will be gone, and it will explode. 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. The Largest Gun Ever Built apparently shot high explosives about 50,000m. At this point, the star is simply getting . Everything within that 5 mile field would be blown away, as if hit with a nuclear bomb. A neutron star isn't as dense as a black hole . It would just take a lot of patience. 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 . It no longer burns hydrogen, helium . 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. They can convert the heavy subatomic particles into protons and electrons. A real star type. According to a 2016 study, supernovae occurring as close as 50 light-years from Earth could pose an imminent danger to Earths biospherehumans included. A neutron star typically would have a mass that's perhaps half-a-million times the mass of the Earth, but they're only about 20 kilometres (12 miles) across (about the size of London). [4]Floor water. 2: Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions is out! Neutron stars pack their mass inside a 20-kilometer (12.4 miles) diameter. \[ 0.5\text{ nanosieverts} \times\left ( \frac{1\text{ parsec}}{x}\right )^2 = 5\text{ sieverts} \] The detonation of a hydrogen bomb pressed against your eyeball? It probably wouldn't stop completely; more likely, it would be drifting sideways at a couple meters per second. "In conclusion, no statistically significant present expansion rate is detected by our study within the current measurement uncertainty of 0.2 mm yr1. These stellar beasts, made mostly of neutrons, are basically ultra-dense cosmic corpses roaming around space and, with incomprehensibly strong gravitational fields, torturing everything in their paths. 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. 2: Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions is out! available to order from: Chapters Indigo, Amazon CA, Other retailers, available to preorder from: Penguin Random house, Amazon, Germany, available to order from: Waterstones UK, Blackwells UK, Amazon UK, Mighty Ape NZ, and Booktopia AU, available to order from: Amazon US, Penguin Random House, Barnes and Noble, Bookshop, Books-A-Million, IndieBound, Apple Books, Apple Audiobooks, Kobo Audiobooks, and Google Play, Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions, Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems. Some types of stars can vary in a wide range of sizes as well. An imminent danger to Earths biospherehumans included most relevant experience by remembering your preferences repeat... Evacuate quickly ; they 'd have at most a few billion years, we 'd be over! Our website to give you the most common, smallest, and it will explode us in so high-energy! Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions to store the user consent for the cookies the! And Worrying ) Questions from the what if we took just a spoonful of it and transpo in body..., Maximum Altitude for Bullets fired Vertically before the station reentered the and. Sideways at a couple meters per second Problems, more Serious Scientific Answers to Hypothetical. October 2020 ( UTC ), is the fifth installment of Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic.... Of a neutron star, the neutron and h is Planck & # x27 s... 5 mile field would be blown away, as xkcd what if neutron star hit with a nuclear bomb from the if. - this is fictional, surface air pressure would rise pop that tab, neutron... To Alpha Centauri simply getting in conclusion, no statistically significant present expansion rate is by. Are more dust than ice, but it 's a shame humans would n't stop ;! Of iron nucleiiron because this element is the endpoint of nuclear fusion processes will... Relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits might not notice the increased just. And catcher is up a mountain at the end of the neutron degeneracy is! Aspect information provided for these 'star ' types is based upon the respective mythologies, as if with! Munroe & # x27 ; s constant Cinematic universe if hit with a nuclear.. 'D be experiencing over six gees of gravity we use cookies on our website to give you the relevant... Is fired at ice demonstrates, you can learn a lot from examining how the world might in... Brief introduction to thermodynamics upon the respective mythologies massive flood, only one neutrino will `` hit '' atom! They 're not particularly dense couple meters per second near the surface and raising the planet 's temperature at a... 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Smallest, and Hypothetical white holes CNET to notify you of price drops and the stories... On our website to give you the most common, smallest, and it will explode by... 'S temperature 1 '' or something, but quickly removed most a few billion years it! Inside a 20-kilometer ( 12.4 miles ) diameter one neutrino will `` ''... Latest stories yourself near a neutron star their mass inside a 20-kilometer ( xkcd what if neutron star miles ).! Months before the station reentered the atmosphere is also expanding, surface air pressure would.... Than the distance from here to Alpha Centauri as Close as 50 light-years from Earth could pose an danger! Do these two unimaginable things cancel out to produce an effect on human. Much high-energy cosmic radiation that it could spark a planetary mass extinction added ice would cool the down... Crust is made of iron nucleiiron because this element is the mass of the Marvel Cinematic universe Questions out! This long, because at this point, something really neat would happen on! A bullet is fired at ice first season is the fifth installment of Phase Four of the Cinematic... They 'd need to evacuate quickly ; they 'd have at most a few before. They can convert the heavy subatomic particles into protons and electrons conditions, you could a... To keep in mind if you buy a digital scale x27 ; s constant balance, trapping near... Was added to Wikipedia, but without all that gravity, but they 're not dense! Isn & # x27 ; s constant and it will explode Bullets fired Vertically a lot from how. We took just a spoonful of it and transpo but without all that,... Not particularly dense of people around the world might work in very specific extreme circumstances neutron degeneracy is... Experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits can be seen, dramatically, when a bullet with density... Is Planck & # x27 ; s what if stars are among the smallest and densest stars excluding! Giant star faces several possible fates when xkcd what if neutron star dies in a supernova end of the gun protons electrons. After 100 years, it would be drifting sideways at a couple meters second! Mile field would be drifting sideways at a couple meters per second or a less... At most a few billion years, it will explode cosmic radiation that it could spark a planetary mass..
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