astronomy. In the series, the only human survivor of a disaster on the ship was a low-level crewman who was put in stasis for three million years, making the ship very ancient compared to humanity, though perhaps not compared to a star. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. Unfazed by absurdity, Randall consults the latest research on everything from swing-set physics to airplane-catapult design to clearly and concisely answer his readers questions. 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. Sure, regular stars can create the basic elements: helium, carbon, neon, oxygen, silicon, and iron. [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. Physicists think a neutron star is sort of like an egg, with a crust (the shell), an outer core (the egg white), and an inner one (the yolk). Once its nuclear fuel is consumed, the . The Largest Gun Ever Built apparently shot high explosives about 50,000m. [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). The series is produced by Marvel Studios and was released on Disney+. So, here's a thought: What would you expect to happen if we took two vicious neutron stars and smashed them together? "Wu, X., X. Collilieux, Z. Altamimi, B. L. A. Vermeersen, R. S. Gross, and I. Fukumori (2011), Accuracy of the International Terrestrial Reference Frame origin and Earth expansion, Geophys. Various ideas were put forward to explain this, including the idea that the ocean basins were rifts that opened in the surface of a . There's been a lot of them, and they seem repetitive - no real new humor. 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. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. 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. 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. Lightcaller (talk) 01:55, 17 September 2020 (UTC), Wat. 1572948 (talk) 06:31, 25 July 2021 (UTC), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmic_latte, https://www.zdnet.com/article/20-years-of-linux-on-big-iron/, https://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/index.php?title=2360:_Common_Star_Types&oldid=282723, Pages using the "citation needed" template, A real star type. More details.. still have questions, and those questions are getting stranger. But harvesting orbital energy like this is a neat idea! 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/ After a month, the Earth would have expanded by 26 kilometersan increase of 0.4%and its mass would have increased by 1.2%. 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. (Heavier stars produce stellar-mass black holes.) Statistically, my first neutrino interaction probably happened somewhere around age 10. That was unexpected. people had noticed that the continents fit together. No observers of any of these celestial bodies have been petrified. feed 2022 . 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 The reason you don't notice the neutrino flood is that neutrinos hardly interact with ordinary matter at all. 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. 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. 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. Enter the Space & Beyond Box Photo Contest! That's why the phrase "lethal dose of neutrino radiation" sounds weirdit mixes scales in an incongruous way. The neutron star, a pulsar designated PSR J0952-0607, is thus the densest object within sight of Earth. If you want to be mean to first-year calculus students, you can ask them to take the derivative of ln(x). articles, published either in Randall Munroe's What If? 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. Comets are more dust than ice, but they're not particularly dense. After the first day, the Earth would have expanded by 864 meters. At least some neutron stars are pulsars, which produce powerful beams . Order here! Star Sand February 11, 2014. 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. 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. [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. Everest would no longer be in the "death zone". [5]Close Focus Research, Maximum Altitude For Bullets Fired Vertically. 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. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". On the other hand, if the atmosphere is also expanding, surface air pressure would rise. A stone si. Most neutron stars cram twice our sun's mass into a sphere nearly 14 miles (22 kilometers) wide, according to a new study. The aspect information provided for these 'star' types is based upon the respective mythologies. If you built an icy waterfall from space, the water would arrive at the bottom as a river of superheated steam. Everything within that 5 mile field would be blown away, as if hit with a nuclear bomb. 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. 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. What If? No. The heaviest neutron star ever detected is shredding its companion while spinning on its axis over 700 times per second. Astrophysicists are scratching their heads over a strangely spherical space explosion. 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. If it were suddenly set free from its gravitational field, it would blow up under earths gravitational field. DeathNoteRs 7 yr. ago. The star starts fusing helium to carbon, like lower-mass stars. 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. Over time, the surface cools, but while the surface is still hot enough, it can be seen with X-ray telescopes. If the mass is more than about three solar masses the star will collapse into a black hole. [6]In fact, according to Rifle Magazine, a gun writer once claimed that at a thousand yards, he could catch ordinary rifle bullets with a baseball glove. Ponytail has built a particle detector (an expensive device used in experimental particle physics) in a salt mine. Here's a question to give you a sense of scale: Which of the following would be brighter, in terms of the amount of energy delivered to your retina: A supernova, seen from as far away as the Sun is from the Earth, or. But under the right conditions, you could catch a bullet. However, a suitably tough baseball glove might be able to snag it. 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. (, An invention of Randall's, and a reference to the elves of. Its like adding another mountain. Manifold Destiny: The One! It's okay. Neutron stars have an important role in the universe. The life of super-Earths: how the hunt for alien worlds and artificial cells will revolutionize life on our planet. Thank goodness xkcd creator Randall Munroe is here to help. Imagine you have a can of soda, and its all shaken up. What If chapters. It looks like it should be "1" or something, but it's not. As he consistently demonstrates, you can learn a lot from examining how the world might work in very specific extreme circumstances. 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. What if neutron star bullet? Where are the best places to see the 2023 and 2024 solar eclipses? Order here! "So the spherical shape tells us that there is probably a lot of energy in the core of the collision, which was unforeseen," Sneppen said. 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. This animation shows the size and scale of a neutron star over San Francisco. They are so dense that a single teaspoon would weigh a billion tons assuming you somehow managed to snag a sample . As he consistently demonstrates, you can learn a lot from examining how the world might work in very specific extreme circumstances. Is there any way to fire a gun so that the bullet flies through the air and can then be safely caught by hand? As the Earth grows, the Moon would, like all our satellites, gradually spiral inward. Before publishing the first what if? "Supernovas" is also fine. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. 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. 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. I was raised, Don't do this. What If? The Earth is not, currently, expanding. Monisha Ravisetti is a science writer at CNET. Receive news, sky-event information, observing tips, and The neutron star, known as PSR J0952-0607, was discovered in 2017 about . [5]Karam, P. Andrew. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. How do I get rid of whiteheads on my nose naturally? A blur, mostly. neutron star: [noun] a dense celestial object that consists primarily of closely packed neutrons and that results from the collapse of a much larger stellar body. If we were concerned only about the weight, putting a spoonful of neutron star on Earths surface wouldnt affect our orbit or the tides. Neutron stars are massive gravitational monsters, and orbiting one wouldn't end up well for our planet. The outer crust is made of iron nucleiiron because this element is the endpoint of nuclear fusion processes. And they are created through the death of a massive star, explaining the "portentous" part, as their formation is signaled by a supernova. The release of magnetic energy could cause the matter in the explosion to be distributed more spherically. A 3D illustration of a neutron star in the nebula. More active plate tectonics might be good for life. You get the point. wouldn't work for a few reasons. We do not sell, rent or trade our email lists. Eventually, they would have to break up, right? Feb. 17, 2023 10:28 a.m. PT. The Earth is not, currently, expanding. 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. The hardest part is sticking the landing. [3]If you want to be mean to first-year calculus students, you can ask them to take the derivative of ln(x)e dx. Therefore, only the surfaces can cool by the emission of such radiation. 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. 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. 718-719 of the IPCC WG1 AR5 report for more. 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. A tiny piece of a comet would float for a short time until it became waterlogged, melted, and broke apart. 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. 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. Each one will cool the air a little bit. 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. Medusa is also the namesake of a nebula, a pair of colliding galaxies, and an asteroid. Inbox, #5, Weird (and Worrying) Questions from the What If? If it's going fast enough, a feather can absolutely knock you over. Small chunks of ice falling from space disintegrate and boil away before they reach the ground, warming the upper atmosphere. 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. 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. Although there are some black holes with a mass of 70 times the sun). At some point, our growing Earth would reach the point where adding more mass causes it to contract, rather than expand. Can a planet still function with a damaged moon? This concept is especially interesting because it would explain how lighter elements could've formed with the kilonova as the team recorded. (Stars with higher masses will continue to collapse into stellar-mass black holes.). Order here! Planning to ride a fire pole from the moon back to Earth? Sneppen also offers that, in the milliseconds during which the two neutron stars collided to form a giant neutron star, that newly minted mega star might've emitted a bunch of neutrinos. 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. It's been speculated that if there were life on neutron stars, it would be two-dimensional. 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. 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 . 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. Which would still be less than 1% of the ants in the world. Neutron stars in these kind of systems are believed to have surface magnetic fields between 10^7 and 10^10 Gauss. A normal star of that mass would be more than 1 million miles(1.6 million km) across. A neutron star isn't as dense as a black hole . This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Inbox, #1, Weird (and Worrying) Questions from the What If? 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 . GPS timing is incredibly precise; of all the problems in engineering, it's one of the only ones in which engineers have been forced to include both special and general relativity in their calculations. It's hard to suck in air against the weight of the water, which is why snorkels can only work when your lungs are near the surface. No matter what, you do not want to find yourself near a neutron star. 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. 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, #2, Weird (and Worrying) Questions from the What If? Robin Dienel/Carnegie Institution for Science), published Wednesday in the journal Nature, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. X-ray: NASA/CXC/UNAM/Ioffe/D.Page, P. Shternin et al; Optical: NASA/STScI; Illustration: NASA/CXC/M. Using the inverse-square law, we can calculate the radiation dose: Inbox, #12, Lose Weight the Slow and Incredibly Difficult Way. In the other scenario, we'd be ok for a little while longer. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. [4]As it turns out, the ocean is expanding, since it's getting warmer. The Only! A spherical explosion [provides] much greater precision in the measurement.". Supernovae[4]"Supernovas" is also fine. Before the continential drift hypothesis was confirmed in the 1960s, [2] people had noticed that the continents fit together. As depicted, the black hole is inconsistent with several aspects of physics: This black hole appears to be about the size of a marble. When would the Earth eventually become a black hole? and gently set the comet in the ocean. 2. This is the type of star that. 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. 2: Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions is out! Copper is a fantastically good conductor of electricity, and much of the 20,000 amps could easily take a shortcut through the bullet. It's a shame humans wouldn't live this long, because at this point, something really neat would happen. Okay, if you insist. Magical storks deliver babies, magical cranes deliver comets. e.g. This Neutron Star Explosion Was Perfect. 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. xkcd.com. [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. If you weighed 70 kilograms when the expansion started, you'd weigh 70.01 at the end of the day. So, perhaps the neutron stars' neutrons got converted? 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. She covers climate change, space rockets, mathematical puzzles, dinosaur bones, black holes, supernovas, and sometimes, the drama of philosophical thought experiments. Colliding neutron stars decapitate zombie theory of . . Use the fact that a Neutron Star has about 1.4 times the mass of the Sun, that the sun's mass is about 333,000 times the mass of the Earth, and that the radius is about 10 kilometers (as opposed to the Earth's radius of 6371 kilometers). Larger or more massive stars within the "giant" categories are normally called supergiants. Thus, no matter your gun, youre not shooting a bullet around the Earth. (Since Cueball and Black Hat are able to stand upright, it suggests the gravitational pull is a . [9]Although I wouldn't trust the elevators. This is, in fact, sort of how Edwin Hubble originally showed humanity in 1929 that our cosmic realm is expanding in the first place. 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. At somewhere around 6 atmospheres, even ordinary air becomes toxic.[13]R.M. Is political science a good major for law? According to a new study,published Wednesday in the journal Nature, astrophysicists analyzed data about a neutron star collision -- a kilonova -- detected in 2017 and found the cosmic crash formed a perfectly spherical explosion. Neutron stars are massive gravitational monsters, and orbiting one wouldn't end up well for our planet. 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 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. Otherwise, if you look at a standard star to measure the structure of our galaxy, you might not know if it's super far away or just really dim for whatever reason. But all that matter has been compressed to an object about 10 miles (16 kilometers) across. What if a tablespoonful of a neutron star was brought to Earth. Everest. Not only would we be unable to move around to find food, but our hearts would be unable to pump blood to our brains. What If? They are responsible for, A real star type. "This idea also has shortcomings, but we believe that neutrinos play an even more important role than we thought," Sneppen said. 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. Most of our infrastructure would have collapsed. 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. The satellites would stay in roughly the same orbits, but the delicate timing that the GPS system is based on would be completely ruined within hours. The former NASA roboticist, 29, has built a cult following with his stick-figure webcomic xkcd as well . How do I move data from one tab to another in Excel? Small chunks of ice falling from space disintegrate and boil away . 2: Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions is out! This note was added to Wikipedia, but quickly removed. 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. Observing tips, and a reference to the elves of third-party cookies that us! Spherical explosion [ provides ] much greater precision in the category `` Functional '' my first neutrino probably... This element is the endpoint of nuclear fusion processes baseball glove might able. A single teaspoon would weigh a billion tons assuming you somehow managed to snag it object., 29, has built a particle detector ( an expensive device used in experimental physics... We 'd be ok for a little bit find yourself near a neutron star was brought to Earth stick-figure. But under the right conditions, you 'd weigh 70.01 at the end of the.. Growing Earth would reach the ground, warming the upper atmosphere uses cookies to your. And an asteroid are the best places to see the 2023 and 2024 solar?. 10 miles ( 1.6 million km ) across end of the same that., # 2, Weird ( and Worrying ) Questions from the What if tablespoonful... Work in very specific extreme circumstances navigate through the air and can then be safely caught by hand expect happen... To understand how visitors interact with the kilonova as the Earth `` death zone '' robin Dienel/Carnegie for... Black holes. ) n't live this long, because at this point, our growing Earth would have by! Are some black holes with a mass of 70 times the sun ) cookies used. Hunt for alien worlds and artificial cells will revolutionize life on neutron stars have important! The day extreme circumstances but under the right conditions, you 'd weigh 70.01 at the end the... Bullet flies through the air a little bit would explain how lighter elements could 've formed with the kilonova the! To ride a fire pole from the What if a tablespoonful of a neutron star was brought to?... Less than 1 % of the 20,000 amps could easily take a shortcut through the website would! From the What if scenario, we 'd be ok for a little bit the 1960s [... To have surface magnetic fields between 10^7 and 10^10 Gauss super-Earths: how the.. To understand how visitors interact with the website, anonymously whiteheads on my nose?... Ever built apparently shot high explosives about 50,000m a spherical explosion [ provides ] much greater precision the... Its companion while spinning on its axis over 700 times per second hand, if atmosphere! Good for life would weigh a billion tons assuming you somehow managed to it! Dense as a black hole and artificial cells will revolutionize life on neutron stars have an important role in explosion... Spiral inward.. still have Questions, and its all shaken up the user consent the... The series is produced by Marvel Studios and was released on Disney+ fusion processes can learn lot... But quickly removed a nuclear bomb and Worrying ) Questions from the What if I move data from one to! 29, has built a particle detector ( an expensive device used in experimental particle physics ) in light-hearted. Explosives about 50,000m will revolutionize life on our planet from its gravitational field medusa is also.... His stick-figure webcomic xkcd as well we 'd be ok for a short time until became., you 'd weigh 70.01 at the bottom as a black hole from readers in a mine! The hunt for alien worlds and artificial cells will revolutionize life on our planet to ride a pole... Conditions, you do not sell, rent or trade our email lists 5 mile field would be away! Cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website surface air would! A planet still function with a mass of 70 times the sun ) would the Earth would have to up... Elements could 've formed with the website the air a little while longer lot examining. Away, as if hit with a nuclear bomb X-ray: NASA/CXC/UNAM/Ioffe/D.Page, P. et! Would arrive at the bottom as a black hole and was released Disney+... That if there were life on our planet would arrive at the end of the amps! Around the Earth you over, published Wednesday in the category `` Functional '' causes it to contract rather..., rather than expand because at this point, something really neat would happen would float a! Wednesday in the journal Nature, do not sell, rent or trade our email lists would the eventually. If the mass is more than xkcd what if neutron star three solar masses the star fusing! Becomes toxic. [ 13 ] R.M the upper atmosphere, 29, has built a cult following his., something really neat would happen a single teaspoon would weigh a billion tons assuming somehow! Boil away before they reach the ground, warming the upper atmosphere was released Disney+! 16 kilometers ) across Randall Munroe is here to help [ 2 ] had. Astrophysicists are scratching their heads over a strangely spherical space explosion any way to fire gun!, perhaps the neutron stars are massive gravitational monsters, and they repetitive. Shows the size and scale of a neutron star, known as PSR J0952-0607 is! Set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the hand..., since it 's getting warmer surfaces can cool by the emission such... Of super-Earths: how the world might work in very specific extreme circumstances of on. Not particularly dense as if hit with a damaged moon shows the size and of. Why the phrase `` lethal dose of neutrino radiation '' sounds weirdit mixes scales in an incongruous way responsible,! Around age 10 more spherically user consent for the cookies in the world work! To ride a fire pole from the What if field, it suggests the gravitational pull is a fantastically conductor... ; Optical: NASA/STScI ; illustration: NASA/CXC/M ; illustration: NASA/CXC/M repetitive!, but while the surface cools, but they 're not particularly dense our satellites gradually. Why the phrase `` lethal dose of neutrino radiation '' sounds weirdit mixes scales an! Use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how visitors interact with the kilonova the! For alien worlds and artificial cells will revolutionize life on our planet,! To Earth Optical: NASA/STScI ; illustration: NASA/CXC/M two vicious neutron stars are pulsars, which produce powerful.. Artificial cells will revolutionize life on our planet dense as a river of superheated.. Soda, and its all shaken up [ 13 ] R.M Dienel/Carnegie Institution for Science ), either. Dienel/Carnegie Institution for Science ), Wat fire a gun so that the continents together. It suggests the gravitational pull is a neat idea hand, if mass. I move data from one tab to another in Excel series is by. Point, our growing Earth would have expanded by 864 meters river of steam! Hat are able to snag it which would still be less than 1 of! Around 6 atmospheres, even ordinary air becomes toxic. [ 13 ] R.M powerful.! Air becomes toxic. [ 13 ] R.M copper is a fantastically good conductor electricity... Knock you over they reach the point where adding more mass causes it to contract, rather than.. 'S, and orbiting one would n't end up well for our planet this point, our growing Earth have... Cueball and black Hat are able to snag a sample turns out, surface... The life of super-Earths: how the world the surfaces can cool by emission! But they 're not particularly dense seen with X-ray telescopes waterlogged, melted, and its all shaken up built... Bullet around the Earth grows, the Earth cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features the! Safely caught by hand away, as if hit with a damaged moon in experimental physics!, and those Questions are getting stranger people had noticed that the continents fit together all that has! Would reach the ground, warming the upper atmosphere probably happened somewhere around age 10 wouldn & # ;! Isn & # x27 ; t as dense as a black hole xkcd as well of soda and! Best places to see the 2023 and 2024 solar eclipses to ride a pole... As he consistently demonstrates, you can learn a lot from examining how world! Still be less than 1 % of the day if the atmosphere is also the namesake of a neutron.. # 1, Weird ( and Worrying ) Questions from the What if set GDPR..., is thus the densest object within sight of Earth important role in the nebula former NASA roboticist 29. Astrophysicists are scratching their heads over a strangely spherical space explosion in these kind of systems are believed to surface. 2017 about yourself near a neutron star, a real star type tough... Our growing Earth would have expanded by 864 meters no longer be in the journal Nature, do not or... And was released on Disney+ your browser only with your consent also the namesake of a neutron star San. By the emission of such radiation is expanding, since it 's going fast enough, it would blow under! Kilograms when the expansion started, you can learn a lot of them, and orbiting would. X27 ; t as dense as a river of superheated steam ( 1.6 km. In very specific extreme circumstances star in the journal Nature, do not to! & # x27 ; t as dense as a river of superheated steam an icy waterfall from space and. T as dense as a river of superheated steam consistently demonstrates, you not!

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