Key Takeaways:
- Supernovae result from the core collapse of massive stars, forming neutron stars.
- Neutron stars are characterized by their extreme compactness and rapid rotation.
- Theoretical models suggest the possibility of neutron star collapse into strange quark stars due to neutron dissolution into free quarks.
- NASA has reported a potential detection of a strange quark star.
When the core of a massive star collapses, a supernova explosion occurs and the collapsed core forms an extremely compact, rapidly spinning neutron star. Some theories propose that the neutrons could dissolve into free quarks, causing the neutron star to shrink further and become a strange quark star. NASA has announced the detection of a possible strange quark star.
Click here to visit the Chandra X-ray Observatory web site and watch an animation of a star collapse.
