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How many neutron stars are there?

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Astronomers have found less than 2,000 pulsars, yet there should be about a billion neutron stars in our Milky Way Galaxy. There are two reasons for this shortfall. One is age: most neutron stars are billions of years old, which means they have plenty of time to cool and spin down. read more

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. Neutron stars cram roughly 1.3 to 2.5 solar masses into a city-sized sphere perhaps 20 kilometers (12 miles) across. read more

Neutron stars are created when giant stars die in supernovas and their cores collapse, with the protons and electrons essentially melting into each other to form neutrons. Credit: NASA/Dana Berry Neutron stars are city-size stellar objects with a mass about 1.4 times that of the sun. read more

Astronomers have found less than 2000 pulsars (the most common type of neutron star) in our galaxy even though there should be billions. There are two reasons for the shortfall the first is age, most are billions of years old and have had time to cool and spin down becoming invisible to our telescopes. read more

Gravity presses the material in on itself so tightly that protons and electrons combine to make neutrons, yielding the name "neutron star." [Supernova Photos: Great Images of Star Explosions] Neutron stars pack their mass inside a 20-kilometer (12.4 miles) diameter. read more

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