A teaspoon of neutron star material would weigh about a billion tonnes
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Neutron stars are the collapsed remnants of massive stars that exploded as supernovae. They pack more mass than the Sun into a sphere roughly 20km across. The protons and electrons of atoms are crushed together into neutrons, creating matter so dense that a sugar-cube-sized portion would outweigh all of humanity. The gravity on the surface is 200 billion times stronger than Earth's.
A teaspoon of neutron star would sink instantly through Earth and come out the other side — repeatedly — like a pendulum through a planet.
The Science Behind It
Neutron stars are the collapsed remnants of massive stars that exploded as supernovae. They pack more mass than the Sun into a sphere roughly 20km across. The protons and electrons of atoms are crushed together into neutrons, creating matter so dense that a sugar-cube-sized portion would outweigh all of humanity. The gravity on the surface is 200 billion times stronger than Earth's.
Why Your Brain Finds This Hard to Believe
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Read our Editorial Guidelines →“A teaspoon of neutron star weighs a billion tonnes. Space is absolutely terrifying.”