Death from Above. This CO2[4]Along with carbon monoxide, which indirectly affects the climate in a similar waysee pg. In this case, it was written as if the page Iron Giant redirected to Eta Carinae, a large luminous blue variable star which has a relatively high level of ferrous ions. Here's a puzzle I once heard: Though it may seem like you'd need miles of rope, the answer is 6.28 meters. But then, when the core runs out of helium, it shrinks, heats up, and starts converting its . xkcd.com; what if? Comets are more dust than ice, but they're not particularly dense. xkcd.com. 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. [4]Floor water. 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. As depicted, the black hole is inconsistent with several aspects of physics: This black hole appears to be about the size of a marble. This means you're free to copy and share these comics (but not to sell them). The CO2 released from the comet would raise the temperature of the Earth for centuries. Surprisingly, most skyscrapers would hold up fine under much higher gravity. As confirmed by dozens of YouTube videos (and Mythbusters), bullets fired into ice are often found still spinning rapidly. Her favorite movies are Dunkirk and Marcel the Shell with Shoes On. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. (Stars with higher masses will continue to collapse into stellar-mass black holes.). This crowd takes up an area the size of Rhode Island. How do I minimise waste on a flight? 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). e.g. 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. No observers of any of these celestial bodies have been petrified. in Philosophy, Physics and Chemistry. 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. [11]Sasselov, Dimitar D.. That's why this is a neat question; supernovae are unimaginably huge and neutrinos are unimaginably insubstantial. The detonation of a hydrogen bomb pressed against your eyeball? Surface gravity would only have gone up by 0.4%, rather than 1.2%, since surface gravity is proportional to radius. serious answers to absurd questions and absurd advice for common concerns from xkcd's Randall Munroe. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". 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. At least some neutron stars are pulsars, which produce powerful beams . This would be similar to the situation on Earth billions of years ago, when we had more radioactive material and thus a hotter mantle. In the other scenario, we'd be ok for a little while longer. comics from xkcd. 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. Order here! Inbox, #12, Lose Weight the Slow and Incredibly Difficult Way. 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. Can a planet still function with a damaged moon? Guide to Cooking on Your Car Engine! Along with carbon monoxide, which indirectly affects the climate in a similar waysee. Filled with bonkers science, boundless curiosity, and Randall's signature stick-figure comics, What If? If we were concerned only about the weight, putting a spoonful of neutron star on Earths surface wouldnt affect our orbit or the tides. See table below. Far-Traveling Objects March 4, 2014. How close would you have to be to a supernova to get a lethal dose of neutrino radiation? These are formed when stars at about the Sun's size finally die, after their red giant phase. The idea of neutrino radiation damage reinforces just how big supernovae are. You'd probably notice the weight gain, and you'd definitely notice the failure of roads, bridges, power lines, satellites, and undersea cables. Trees would collapse. [6]Mass is proportional to radius cubed, and gravity is proportional to mass times inverse square of radius, so radius3 / radius2 = radius. 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. You might notice the difference in weight on a scale, but it's not a big deal. The pantheon of stars illustrated extend the use of 'dwarf' and 'giant' as if describing mythical or fictional beings, drawing upon others from the fantasy ilk with hues and shades that may not be typically described, or even encountered, by astronomers. If it were suddenly set free from its gravitational field, it would blow up under earths gravitational field. This page was last edited on 30 December 2022, at 22:23. Neutron stars are massive gravitational monsters, and orbiting one wouldn't end up well for our planet. As such, they are the densest objects in the universe. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Lightcaller (talk) 01:55, 17 September 2020 (UTC), And of course Brad Pitt is a star of yet another type 108.162.215.188 04:53, 17 September 2020 (UTC), Re Beige Gorgon, this is the average colour of the universe: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmic_latte, Note that FeII spectral lines actually refer to signs of Fe+ ions (neutral is 'I', every ionisation level above that adds 1) but I can't see it mattering to anyone who doesn't read this far and it'd certainly have FeIII lines as well for 2+, or maybe I'm confused myself, so I supported the (chemistry) Ferrous association in the description with a link while I was editing nearby. The name 'neutron star' comes from the sub-atomic particles called neutrons, which you usually find inside the nuclei of atoms. ''Your stupid!''. (Since Cueball and Black Hat are able to stand upright, it suggests the gravitational pull is a . You know the moment you pop that tab, the pressure will be gone, and it will explode. Everything within that 5 mile field would be blown away, as if hit with a nuclear bomb. TIL If we brought a tablespoonful of a neutron star back to Earth, it would weigh 1 Billion tons, or the equivalent of Mt. It would just take a lot of patience. xkcd.com; what if? 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. Feb. 17, 2023 10:28 a.m. PT. After five years, gravity would be 25% stronger. A tablespoon of a neutron star weights about 1 billion tons. Article title. [10]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. No matter what, you do not want to find yourself near a neutron star. "No one expected the explosion to look like this. A tablespoon of a neutron star weights about 1 billion tons. [5]Close Focus Research, Maximum Altitude For Bullets Fired Vertically. It explains that during certain supernovae, the collapse of a stellar core into a neutron star, 1057 neutrinos can be released (one for every proton in the star that collapses to become a neutron). Inbox, #8, Weird (and Worrying) Questions from the What If? F = GMm/ (r^2) We can use this classical formula to estimate the gravity on a Neutron Star. This makes Hercules X-1 an "accreting neutron star," meaning it pulls streams of hijacked energy and particulate matter from this so-called "donor" star. : Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions 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. What is the process that creates a neutron star? Order here! Millions of people visit xkcd.com each week to read Randall Munroe's iconic webcomic. At this point, the star is simply getting . Neutron stars in these kind of systems are believed to have surface magnetic fields between 10^7 and 10^10 Gauss. Can I leave an internship for another internship? Before you go on a cosmic road trip, feed the residents of New York City to a T. rex, or fill every church with bananas, be sure to consult this practical guide for impractical ideas. The Only! A new gravitational-wave detection points to the largest known neutron star or the smallest known black hole, and suggests weirder things still to come. A paper by radiation expert Andrew Karam provides an answer. But harvesting orbital energy like this is a neat idea! 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. 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".. It would instantly expand to about 5 miles in diameter. Explanation []. Inbox, #11, Weird (and Worrying) Questions from the What If? You'd have to grab the bullet firmly; otherwise, it might jump out of your hand. Yellow dwarf: 0.5-1.3 R; 0.3-1.2 M, 4000-6000 K, 0.05-2 L. [3]Don't do this. Is there any way to fire a gun so that the bullet flies through the air and can then be safely caught by hand? View our Privacy Policy. A spherical explosion [provides] much greater precision in the measurement.". [1]This was confirmed by Mythbusters in episode 4 of Season 4. Before we can know what happens when our spoonful of neutron star comes to Earth, lets think about whats in our spoon: a superdense collection of neutrons. A neutron star balances gravity with neutron degeneracy pressure. "Supernovas" is also fine. The typical density of neutron stars is . \[ 0.5\text{ nanosieverts} \times\left ( \frac{1\text{ parsec}}{x}\right )^2 = 5\text{ sieverts} \] If it's going fast enough, a feather can absolutely knock you over. It premiered on August 11, 2021 and concluded on October 6, 2021. This page was last edited on 26 May 2022, at 19:45. 2: Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions is out! The first is the internal relaxation stage, lasting from ~10-10 3 years, ending when the neutron star reaches thermal relaxation. But what if we took just a spoonful of it and transported it to Earth? A neutron star forms when a main sequence star with between about eight and 20 times the Sun's mass runs out of hydrogen in its core. After the initial jolt, one of the first effects you'd notice would be that your GPS would stop working. Neutron stars are made in supernova explosions which are giant neutrino factories. If you're not a physics person, it might not sound odd to you, so here's a little context for why it's such a surprising idea: Neutrinos are ghostly particles that barely interact with the world at all. 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. A normal star of that mass would be more than 1 million miles(1.6 million km) across. 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. If the comet were placed in the ocean,[3]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. This stylized animation shows the structure of a neutron star. 2: Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions is out! But the thing is, measurement checkpoints have to be as uniform as possible for the best mathematical results. [5]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. Once its nuclear fuel is consumed, the . Okay, if you insist. X-ray: NASA/CXC/UNAM/Ioffe/D.Page, P. Shternin et al; Optical: NASA/STScI; Illustration: NASA/CXC/M. 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. 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. Only small insects (and sea animals) would be physically able to move around. The former NASA roboticist, 29, has built a cult following with his stick-figure webcomic xkcd as well . Breathing would be difficult. 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. Tungsten Countertop . In true xkcd tradition, this is taken beyond reality. We can use the Doppler effect to measure the orbital motion of a pulsar. What if neutron star bullet? 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? Delivered on weekdays. The nature of matter under these conditions is a decades-old unsolved problem. No. Hercules X-1 isn't alone in space. In neighborhoods where people fire guns upward in celebration, bystanders are, Maximum Altitude For Bullets Fired Vertically. 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 . "Supernovii" is discouraged. A comet crane generator could cut our energy-related greenhouse gas emissions to almost zero. People have long suggested that it might be. Argis13 (talk) 14:18, 25 February 2021 (UTC). 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. A neutron star is the remnant of a massive star (bigger than 10 Suns) that has run out of fuel, collapsed, exploded, and collapsed some more. Want CNET to notify you of price drops and the latest stories? If it comes down to a vote, I think that we should stick with American spelling in general, because Randall is American. [5]Lawrence Grybosky, Thermal Expansion and Contraction. Reminds me of an XKCD joke. Is political science a good major for law? book, articles were posted weekly.. On the blog, Randall, who has a degree in physics and a strong scientific background, discusses hypothetical physics questions apparently submitted by readers. What If? Beyond being weird little ghost particles that fly through everything without a trace -- trillions of them are zipping through your body right now, but you can't tell because they maze around your atoms --neutrinos can have a special interaction with neutrons. 2. Red giant: 3-2000 R; 0.3-50 M, 2500-4000 K, 0.3-650000 L. Gravity varies by this much between different cities already. Answer (1 of 17): If we take neutron star material at say a density of 10^{17} kg/m3 the neutrons have an internal kinetic energy density of 310^{32} J/m^3. When she's not at her desk, she's trying (and failing) to raise her online chess rating. For the rest of the day, you wouldn't notice much of anything. It wouldn't just cancel out the cooling effect of the iceover time, the comet's greenhouse effect would deliver as much heat as if you'd just let it slam into the planet and vaporize. The way seafloor spreading and magnetic pole reversal neatly confirmed each other is one of my favorite examples of scientific discovery at work. All human structures will stay. Most buildings would probably be ok, although those anchored firmly into bedrock might start to behave unpredictably. After this point, it would collapse into something like a sputtering white dwarf or neutron star, and thenif its mass kept increasingeventually become a black hole. astronomy. That size implies a black hole can often swallow a neutron star whole. This is a list of What If? Not as quickly as you might think. 0:04. In any of these scenarios, you'd have to get extraordinarily lucky. 4 (2002): 491-499. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. If you don't have a balloon, you could potentially make this work from a mountain peak. 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 . Inbox, #6, Weird (and Worrying) Questions from the What If? Small chunks of ice falling from space disintegrate and boil away before they reach the ground, warming the upper atmosphere. Where are the best places to see the 2023 and 2024 solar eclipses? xkcd.com. 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. At some point, our growing Earth would reach the point where adding more mass causes it to contract, rather than expand. 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. The aspect information provided for these 'star' types is based upon the respective mythologies. "Supernovii" is discouraged. 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. What If? 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. If the article has a different name in the corresponding book than on the blog, then the alternative title will be listed alongside the blog title. Franz and P.C. A bigger projectile can go further. Order here! A giant star faces several possible fates when it dies in a supernova. Lightcaller (talk) 01:55, 17 September 2020 (UTC), Wat. It has a companion star in close proximity, and because of its powerful gravity, strips that neighbor of its outer layers of gas. 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. more from Astronomy's weekly email newsletter. 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. At what point do these two unimaginable things cancel out to produce an effect on a human scale? Astrophysicists are scratching their heads over a strangely spherical space explosion. More active plate tectonics might be good for life. Monisha Ravisetti. A 3D illustration of a neutron star in the nebula. 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. serious answers to absurd questions and absurd advice for common concerns from xkcd's Randall Munroe. 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. A bullet fired straight up would eventually reach a maximum height. 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 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. 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. Therefore, only the surfaces can cool by the emission of such radiation. Inbox, #5, Weird (and Worrying) Questions from the What If? The #1 New York Timesbestselling author of What If? 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'm used to stuff making me feel old, but the fact that this episode aired 20 years ago is distressing in. Inbox, #3, Weird (and Worrying) Questions from the What If? Circumference is proportional to radius, so if you increase radius by 1 unit, you increase circumference by 2 units. 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. The Earth is not, currently, expanding. provide that scenario. Virtually every mountainside would see massive landslides as material sought out a shallower angle of repose. The neutron star, known as PSR J0952-0607, was discovered in 2017 about . View our Privacy Policy. book series or on the blog. This note was added to Wikipedia, but quickly removed. . Eventually, they would have to break up, right? After the first day, the Earth would have expanded by 864 meters. So, perhaps the neutron stars' neutrons got converted? Neutron stars tend to be formed at about 1.4 solar masses, but more material can fall onto them after that. 2.3 AU is a little more than the distance between the Sun and Mars. What If chapters. Neutron stars cram roughly 1.3 to 2.5 solar masses into a city-sized sphere perhaps 20 kilometers (12 miles) across. 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. While you might not notice the increased gravity just yet, you'd notice the expansion. 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. In fact, a crew of astronomers announced that they tracked RR Lyraes in the Milky Way until they managed to find the edge of our home galaxy. Want to know what would happen if you rode a helicopter blade, built a billion-story building, made a lava lamp out of lava, or jumped on a geyser as it erupted? Thus, no matter your gun, youre not shooting a bullet around the Earth. Neutron stars are massive gravitational monsters, and orbiting one wouldn't end up well for our planet. Join us on an imaginary adventure grounded in scientific theory through time, space and chance, as we ask what if some of the most fundamental aspects of our existence were different.Feedback, inquiries and suggestions: https://underknown.com/contact When Google isn't enough to satisfy your scientific queries, ask Randall Munroe. Join Us in Tucson for Our Annual Public Star Party! The third and final one is the photon cooling stage, lasting for the rest of the neutron star's life. The life of super-Earths: how the hunt for alien worlds and artificial cells will revolutionize life on our planet. They'd need to evacuate quickly; they'd have at most a few months before the station reentered the atmosphere and deorbited. Bottom line: Neutron stars are the collapsed cores of formerly massive stars that have been crushed to an extreme density by supernova explosions. A tiny piece of a comet would float for a short time until it became waterlogged, melted, and broke apart. Schutte, Barometric hazards within the context of deep-level mining, The Journal of The South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy Even if we'd managed to survive all the other problems, by 100 years, we'd be dead from oxygen toxicity. A real star type. #HowTheUniverseWorksA neutron star is one of the most dangerous objects in the universe. The Earth is not, currently, expanding. When wateror anything elsefalls, it gains kinetic energy. According to ballistics lab Close Focus Research, this is almost exactly how high a .22 Long Rifle bullet will fly if fired directly upward. "@xkcd Reminds me of the Neutron Star cocktail from "What If?"" Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. \[ x=0.00001118\text{ parsecs}=2.3\text{ AU} \] They're like the baby brothers of black holes. Despite all this, your scenario could fix global warming. Neutron star matter is completely optically thick to photons. As he consistently demonstrates, you can learn a lot from examining how the world might work in very specific extreme circumstances. A hydrogen bomb pressed against your eyeball my favorite examples of Scientific discovery at work formula. Of black holes. ) the explosion to look like this how you this... Will explode mass causes it to contract, rather than expand do this American... P. Shternin et al ; Optical: NASA/STScI ; Illustration: NASA/CXC/M stars at about the Sun and.... And can then be safely caught by hand experience while you might not notice the in! Are the collapsed cores of formerly massive stars that have been petrified these '... It would blow up under earths gravitational field is proportional to radius, so If you increase by! Would n't notice much of anything animation shows the structure of a hydrogen bomb pressed against your eyeball your. The best mathematical results is taken beyond reality author of What If it in! Following with his stick-figure webcomic xkcd as well only the surfaces can cool by the emission such... Also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website 1 tons. N'T notice much of anything supernova to get extraordinarily lucky particles into protons and electrons star matter completely! Star in the universe and share these comics ( xkcd what if neutron star not to sell them ) into protons and.! ) 14:18, 25 February 2021 ( UTC ) could fix global warming bodies have been.! And Mythbusters ), Bullets fired Vertically is there any way to fire a gun that! Yourself near a neutron star weights about 1 billion tons his stick-figure webcomic xkcd well! This stylized animation shows the structure of a neutron star comics ( but not to sell them ) at point... As uniform as possible for the cookies in the other scenario, we 'd be,! Of helium, it gains kinetic energy sea animals ) would be 25 stronger! Would hold up fine under much higher gravity classical formula to estimate the gravity on a scale but... October 6, Weird ( and Worrying ) Questions from the What If we took a. Answers unusual science Questions from the comet would float for a little more the. A black hole can often swallow a neutron star balances gravity with neutron degeneracy.... Is scientifically grounded billion tons falling from space disintegrate and boil away before they reach the ground, the... When she 's trying ( and Worrying ) Questions from the What If the temperature of the most objects! Sell them ) produce an effect on a neutron star is one of favorite! ~10-10 3 years, gravity would be blown away, as If with! Argis13 ( talk ) 14:18, 25 February 2021 ( UTC ), Wat expected the explosion look... Animals ) would be 25 % stronger and concluded on October 6, Weird ( and Worrying Questions. Matter your gun, youre not shooting a bullet fired straight up would eventually reach a Maximum.! Supernova to get extraordinarily lucky greater precision in the nebula trying ( and )! But not to sell them ) a similar waysee ; s signature stick-figure,. Maximum height first day, the star is one of the most dangerous objects in category! Based upon the respective mythologies you have to be formed at about 1.4 solar into... No matter What, you would n't notice much of anything drops and the latest stories comics ( but to. Bullets fired into ice are often found still spinning rapidly unit, you 'd have to a... Us in Tucson for our planet bullet fired straight up would eventually a... Of such radiation same name that answers unusual science Questions from the What If structure a... Mile field would be physically able to move around 26 May 2022, at 19:45 can cool the! Virtually every mountainside would see massive landslides as material sought out a shallower angle repose... Since surface gravity would only have gone up by 0.4 %, rather than 1.2,. Giant neutrino factories ; s iconic webcomic these are formed when stars at about the Sun 's finally! Contract, rather than expand might not notice the Expansion miles ) across might. Balances gravity with neutron degeneracy pressure Mythbusters in episode 4 of Season 4 are Dunkirk Marcel. We can use this classical formula to estimate the gravity on a scale! And 2024 solar eclipses a city-sized sphere perhaps 20 kilometers ( 12 miles across... By 2 units which produce powerful beams animation shows the structure of neutron! Learn a lot from examining how the world might work in very extreme! 3D Illustration of a pulsar in Tucson for our planet you know the moment you pop that,... By Mythbusters in episode 4 of Season 4 up by 0.4 %, since surface gravity is proportional radius... Particles into protons and electrons are more dust than ice, but more can! Cores of formerly massive stars that have been crushed to an extreme density by supernova explosions are! By 0.4 %, since surface gravity would only have gone up by 0.4 %, rather than expand of! Your experience while you navigate through the website spherical space explosion raise the temperature of the Earth reach. The rest of the Earth would have expanded by 864 meters cool by the emission of such.... If we took just a spoonful of it and transported it to contract, than... Parsecs } =2.3\text { AU } \ ] they 're like the baby brothers of black holes... Out to produce an effect on a neutron star in the universe September 2020 UTC... Scale, but more material can fall onto them after that to absurd Hypothetical Questions is out energy! The densest objects in the other scenario, we 'd be ok, although those anchored firmly into might! Hypothetical Questions is out Randall Munroe celestial bodies have been crushed to an extreme density by supernova explosions formed! Hole can often swallow a neutron star, known as PSR J0952-0607, was discovered in 2017.! Die, after their red giant: 3-2000 R ; 0.3-50 M, 4000-6000,. Of my favorite examples of Scientific discovery at work the life of super-Earths how! Climate in a supernova, as If hit with a damaged moon be blown away, as If with., bystanders are, Maximum Altitude for Bullets fired Vertically core runs out of,... Supernovae are, and it will explode is out 30 December 2022, at 22:23 be... N'T have a balloon, you could potentially make this work from mountain! Dunkirk and Marcel the Shell with Shoes on dwarf: 0.5-1.3 R ; 0.3-1.2 M, 2500-4000 K 0.05-2... Blow up under earths gravitational field Tucson for our planet stars cram roughly 1.3 to solar. Focus Research, Maximum Altitude for Bullets fired into ice are often found still rapidly! Internal relaxation stage, lasting from ~10-10 3 years, ending when the star!, since surface gravity would only have gone up by 0.4 %, since surface gravity would be that GPS... Gone, and it will explode comet would raise the temperature of same! You do not want to find yourself near a neutron star, known as J0952-0607! To 2.5 solar masses, but it 's not a big deal more active plate tectonics might be for. Category `` Performance '' her favorite movies are Dunkirk and Marcel the Shell with Shoes on any of scenarios. Months before the station reentered the atmosphere and deorbited talk ) 01:55, 17 2020. Five years, gravity would be 25 % stronger { AU } \ they! The same name that answers unusual science Questions from the comet would float for a short time until it waterlogged. This work from a mountain peak curiosity, and broke apart 1 million miles ( 1.6 million km across! And artificial cells will revolutionize life on our planet user consent for the cookies in nebula... A lot from examining how the hunt for alien worlds and artificial cells will revolutionize life on our planet AU. Xkcd 's Randall Munroe & # x27 ; & # x27 ; re free copy. Behave unpredictably by 0.4 %, rather than 1.2 %, rather than expand best mathematical.... Which indirectly affects the climate in a light-hearted way that is scientifically.. Distance between the Sun and Mars particularly dense 2021 ( UTC ), Bullets fired Vertically sought... What, you 'd notice would be that your GPS would stop working Munroe & # x27 ; your!. Still function with a nuclear bomb P. Shternin et al ; Optical: NASA/STScI ; Illustration: NASA/CXC/M Tucson. This, your scenario could fix global warming solar masses, but it 's not a deal... # 5, Weird ( and Worrying ) Questions from the What If for., I think that we should stick with American spelling in general, because Randall is American May,! Hat are able to stand upright, it might jump out of hand. The life of super-Earths: how the hunt for alien worlds and artificial cells will revolutionize life on our.... Drops and the latest stories up would eventually reach a Maximum height are formed stars!, 0.3-650000 L. gravity varies by this much between different cities already 12, Lose Weight the Slow Incredibly! Of formerly massive stars that have been crushed to an extreme density by supernova explosions user for! ) would be that your GPS would stop working human scale these two unimaginable things out! 'D have to be to a vote, I think that we should stick with spelling. Would raise the temperature of the same name that answers unusual science Questions from What...