Using our knowledge of Relativity and Quantum Mechanics, it is fairly straight-forward to map the course of a star's life. One of the main factors in which life-path a star will take is the original size, the original mass actually, of the star.
A star such as our Sol (the name of the star our planet Earth orbits around) has a very predictable life-cycle. Eventually, our Sol will burn up most of it's internal nuclear fuel of hydrogen and helium, and it will cool and swell up to what is referred to as a Red Giant. The outer "shell of the Sun's atmosphere would stretch from where it is now to somewhere between the orbit of the Earth and Mars, swallowing up Venus, Mercury, and our planet. As Red Giants age they slough off the outer layers of their atmosphere creating beautiful planetary nebula.
A star such as our Sol (the name of the star our planet Earth orbits around) has a very predictable life-cycle. Eventually, our Sol will burn up most of it's internal nuclear fuel of hydrogen and helium, and it will cool and swell up to what is referred to as a Red Giant. The outer "shell of the Sun's atmosphere would stretch from where it is now to somewhere between the orbit of the Earth and Mars, swallowing up Venus, Mercury, and our planet. As Red Giants age they slough off the outer layers of their atmosphere creating beautiful planetary nebula.
The "Hourglass Nebula" below is an example.
When a star has an initial mass of between 8 and 15 times the mass of our Sol, it experiences a different end. Once the original nuclear fuel is exhausted, the outer mass of the star is no longer "supported" by an out rush of energy, and these layers collapse into the core, creating a massive Supernova, which can release more energy in one second than an entire galaxy does in a week. This strips the atoms at the core of the star of all their electrons, and turns the protons into neutrons. These neutrons are jammed together so tightly, because the repulsive force of the electrons' negative charges are no longer keeping them separate, that the mass of two of our Sols would fit into a sphere twenty kilometers in diameter! THINK ABOUT IT! It is insane.
To get an idea of the distances involved between an atoms nucleus of protons and neutrons and it's outer shell of electrons, imagine this. Picture the atom's nucleus the size of an average coin. Now go place a grain of sand 200 feet away. Atoms, like our solar system, are mostly empty space. So now you know what a neutron star is. Well, there are odd variations and scientists have found signs of what is termed a MAGNETAR. Here is an explanation from ScienceDaily.
These magnetars can stay quiet for millenia, and then have very brief periods of hyperactivity. It is nearly unfathomable to think of a magnetic field a Billion BILLION times stronger than that of Earth, with it's liquid Iron core.
Now that's just INSANE! -FUPPETS- loves the science. Here is an artist's rendering of a Magnetar and it's magnetic field.
Magnetars are young neutron stars with an ultra-strong magnetic field a billion billion times stronger than that of the Earth. The twisting of magnetic field lines in magnetars give rise to 'starquakes', which will eventually lead to an intense soft gamma-ray burst. In the case of the SWIFT source, the optical flares that reached the Earth were probably due to ions ripped out from the surface of the magnetar and gyrating around the field lines.
These magnetars can stay quiet for millenia, and then have very brief periods of hyperactivity. It is nearly unfathomable to think of a magnetic field a Billion BILLION times stronger than that of Earth, with it's liquid Iron core.
The energy release during one flare in the course of a period of activity can
amount to the energy released by the Sun in 10 000 years.
Now that's just INSANE! -FUPPETS- loves the science. Here is an artist's rendering of a Magnetar and it's magnetic field.
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