xkcd what if neutron star

A larger planet would allow for more geologic activity, which is why some scientists think that exoplanets slightly larger than Earth ("super-Earths") could be more friendly to life than Earth-sized ones. 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. (Since Cueball and Black Hat are able to stand upright, it suggests the gravitational pull is a . 2 is sure to be another instant classic adored by inquisitive readers of all ages. articles, published either in Randall Munroe's What If? Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Geologic activity would also accelerate. Inbox, #1, Weird (and Worrying) Questions from the What If? xkcd.com. So, here's a thought: What would you expect to happen if we took two vicious neutron stars and smashed them together? Everest. So while you could lift a spoonful of Sun, you cant lift a spoonful of neutron star. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best.". Gravity varies by this much between different cities already. Toxicity aside, breathing dense air is difficult simply because it's heavy. would change Earth's radiation balance, trapping heat near the surface and raising the planet's temperature. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. xkcd.com; what if? Small chunks of ice falling from space disintegrate and boil away . All Rights Reserved 2022 Theme: Promos by. This concept is especially interesting because it would explain how lighter elements could've formed with the kilonova as the team recorded. By signing up you may also receive reader surveys and occasional special offers. feed 2022 . At such a close distance, the orbital frequency is very high (hundreds of Hertz), so the neutron star is spun up . 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. 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 2.9K. 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. This means that when a particle accelerator (which produces neutrinos) wants to send a neutrino beam to a detector somewhere else in the world, all it has to do is point the beam at the detectoreven if it's on the other side of the Earth! Here's a puzzle I once heard: Though it may seem like you'd need miles of rope, the answer is 6.28 meters. "Supernovas" is also fine. This would be very brief. 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. The comet isn't the important part, the crane is. This page was last edited on 30 December 2022, at 22:23. A bullet fired straight up would eventually reach a maximum height. The most common, smallest, and coolest type of true star in the universe. At this point, astronauts on the ISS would start getting worried. 3.262 light-years, or a little less than the distance from here to Alpha Centauri. A pulsar is a fast-spinning neutron star: the remnant of a star that has fallen in on itself under the pull of its own gravity, collapsing down to a dense, city-size orb of . Crops wouldn't stand up under their own weight. The story icomes from a National Geographic video. As he consistently demonstrates, you can learn a lot from examining how the world might work in very specific extreme circumstances. X-ray: NASA/CXC/UNAM/Ioffe/D.Page, P. Shternin et al; Optical: NASA/STScI; Illustration: NASA/CXC/M. And indeed, it is by nine orders of magnitude. Breathing in this situation would be difficult. 162.158.158.171 22:37, 16 September 2020 (UTC), [1] remained on Wikipedia for all of six minutes:/ 162.158.62.149 23:40, 16 September 2020 (UTC), Ten minutes, surely? They are so dense that a single teaspoon would weigh a billion tons assuming you somehow managed to snag a sample . 2023 CNET, a Red Ventures company. This an illusion, of course; it's not possible to catch a bullet like that. 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. 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After 100 years, we'd be experiencing over six gees of gravity. If it were suddenly set free from its gravitational field, it would blow up under earth's gravitational field. However, were not just worried about the mass in the spoon. Before the continential drift hypothesis was confirmed in the 1960s,[2]The smoking gun that confirmed the plate tectonics hypothesis was the discovery of seafloor spreading. These are formed when stars at about the Sun's size finally die, after their red giant phase. What if neutron star bullet? Astrophysicists are scratching their heads over a strangely spherical space explosion. Filled with bonkers science, boundless curiosity, and Randall's signature stick-figure comics, What If? and more Earth means more heat. Gamma And Neutrino Radiation Dose From Gamma Ray Bursts And Nearby Supernovae. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". [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. It looks like it should be "1" or something, but it's not. [3]Don't do this. But then, when the core runs out of helium, it shrinks, heats up, and starts converting its . According to ballistics lab Close Focus Research, this is almost exactly how high a .22 Long Rifle bullet will fly if fired directly upward. While a normal black hole has the mass of 9.945e+30 (five times the sun. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. After a few years, the comet's greenhouse effect would have trapped more heat than the ice absorbed, and over the decades to follow, the extra heat would keep piling up. Franz and P.C. Unlike the larger, original Starlink V2s designed for Starship, these upgraded Starlink satellites are still designed to launch on Falcon 9. Inbox, #6, Weird (and Worrying) Questions from the What If? The detonation of a hydrogen bomb pressed against your eyeball? A fatal radiation dose is about 4 sieverts. 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. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. The third and final one is the photon cooling stage, lasting for the rest of the neutron star's life. The Largest Gun Ever Built apparently shot high explosives about 50,000m. (This added heat is minor compared to the cooling effects of evaporation on the way down, so the actual temperature at the bottom is likely colder.). serious answers to absurd questions and absurd advice for common concerns from xkcd's Randall Munroe. In true xkcd tradition, this is taken beyond reality. Its like adding another mountain. The CO2 released from the comet would raise the temperature of the Earth for centuries. 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. The series is produced by Marvel Studios and was released on Disney+. The heaviest neutron star ever detected is shredding its companion while spinning on its axis over 700 times per second. 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. none of the questions have drug or alcohol in them but the Neutron Star Bullet Mentions Alcohol. As gravity increases, then air gets heavier. 0:04. "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. A tiny piece of a comet would float for a short time until it became waterlogged, melted, and broke apart. comics from xkcd. For most of them, the limiting factor isn't weight, but wind. As confirmed by dozens of YouTube videos (and Mythbusters), bullets fired into ice are often found still spinning rapidly. :P 172.69.63.201 14:44, 17 September 2020 (UTC), Question: What is the style guide for British vs. American Spelling (e.g., Color vs. Colour) in explain xkcd? 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. Sunday, SpaceX shared photos of a stack of ~790 kg Starlink V2 "minis". Although there are some black holes with a mass of 70 times the sun). 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. Inbox, #11, Weird (and Worrying) Questions from the What If? The way seafloor spreading and magnetic pole reversal neatly confirmed each other is one of my favorite examples of scientific discovery at work. A comet crane generator could cut our energy-related greenhouse gas emissions to almost zero. Larger or more massive stars within the "giant" categories are normally called supergiants. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. [14]Plummer, H. C., Note on the motion about an attracting centre of slowly increasing mass, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Vol. When would the Earth eventually become a black hole? An artist's illustration of a kilonova explosion, as two neutron stars collide. How do I minimise waste on a flight? although it still periodically makes the rounds on YouTube. It would instantly expand to about 5 miles in diameter. 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. And by that point, you may find you've attracted some attention. 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. The hardest part is sticking the landing. You get the point. She graduated from New York University in 2018 with a B.A. Perhaps humans could survive in specially-built controlled-pressure domes, moving around by keeping most of our bodies submerged in water. 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. The pressure inside planets is roughly proportional to the square of their surface area, so the Earth's core would be squeezed tightly. Where are the best places to see the 2023 and 2024 solar eclipses? Comets are more dust than ice, but they're not particularly dense. 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. 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. The typical density of neutron stars is . 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. We can use the Doppler effect to measure the orbital motion of a pulsar. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. It does not store any personal data. Inbox, #4, Weird (and Worrying) Questions from the What If? Most of our infrastructure would have collapsed. Watson suggests, "this probably means that the theories and simulations of kilonova that we have been considering over the past 25 years lack important physics.". It's like the idiom "knock me over with a feather" or the phrase "football stadium filled to the brim with ants". 2.3 AU is a little more than the distance between the Sun and Mars. I was raised Quaker; I've never held a gun, much less fired one. What would happen if everyone jumped at the same time Xkcd? 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. Most other clocks would keep working fine. Blue giant: 2-400 R; 2-300 M, 8000-60000 K, 15-10000000 L. (Heavier stars produce stellar-mass black holes.) 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. Dig down, and the pressure increases relentlessly. 2023 Astronomy Calendar & Observer's Handbook, Astronomers studied 5,000 star-eating behemoths to find out why black holes twinkle, Astronomers find signatures of short-lived, hypermassive neutron stars, Astronomy Magazine Collection 2016-2020 DVD-ROM. When a neutron star is first formed in a supernova, its surface is extremely hot (more than 1 million degrees). Can a planet still function with a damaged moon? 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. 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 about our roads and bridges? Sadly, we don't have the technology to build comet-lowering cranescertainly not in time to help mitigate climate change. This 'infographic' chart purports to be a comparative guide to various star types, often described by a basic color, which is something that even naked-eye astronomy has determined, and may be qualified as 'dwarf' or 'giant' to describe relative sizes. xkcd.com; what if? is a blog hosted on the xkcd.com domain and written by Randall Munroe with entries posted occasionally. 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. "Sir, is this container under 3 ounces?" "Not sure, how much blood is there in a church mouse?" Reply . After 40 years, Earth's surface gravity would have tripled. Feb. 17, 2023 10:28 a.m. PT. Could I cool down the Earth by capturing a comet and dropping it in the ocean, like an ice cube in a glass of water? Lett., 38, L13304, doi:10.1029/2011GL047450. [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. When wateror anything elsefalls, it gains kinetic energy. "Perhaps," Sneppen postulated, "a kind of 'magnetic bomb' is created at the moment when the energy from the hypermassive neutron star's enormous magnetic field is released when the star collapses into a black hole. The Earth is not, currently, expanding. Statistically, my first neutrino interaction probably happened somewhere around age 10. Inbox, #10, Weird (and Worrying) Questions from the What If? Monisha Ravisetti is a science writer at CNET. The largest class of star in the main sequence, these are highly luminous and have life spans measured in only millions of years, rather than the billions or trillions of years for other star types. [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 mass sun is 400 times heavier than the mass of the moon. Applying the physicist rule of thumb suggests that the supernova is brighter. A real thing, though not a true star, but a remnant of one. No. Despite all this, your scenario could fix global warming. If you weighed 70 kg when the expansion started, you'd weigh 88 kg now. This means you're free to copy and share these comics (but not to sell them). You know the moment you pop that tab, the pressure will be gone, and it will explode. Yellow dwarf: 0.5-1.3 R; 0.3-1.2 M, 4000-6000 K, 0.05-2 L. Delivered on weekdays. 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. It makes no sense that it is spherical, like a ball. Large comets can reach the ground intact and be vaporized on impact as their kinetic energy is converted to heat all at once. 2: Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions is out! The cause of the collapse would be the expanding ground below them, not the increased gravity. At least some neutron stars are pulsars, which produce powerful beams . The second is this neutrino cooling stage, lasting to ~10 5 years. comics from xkcd. The reason you don't notice the neutrino flood is that neutrinos hardly interact with ordinary matter at all. It's a shame humans wouldn't live this long, because at this point, something really neat would happen. Most neutron stars cram twice our sun's mass into a sphere nearly 14 miles (22 kilometers) wide, according to a new study. So unless you stood right next to the spoon, you wouldnt notice. What If? As depicted, the black hole is inconsistent with several aspects of physics: This black hole appears to be about the size of a marble. 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. Order here! 08.23.07. But under the right conditions, you could catch a bullet. Stars like our Sun leave behind white dwarfs: Earth-size remnants of the original star's core. Neutron stars are the densest things besides black holes. After a month, you'd see a lot of cracks opening up in long concrete structures and the failure of elevated roads and old bridges. After 10 years, gravity would be 50% stronger. articles, published either in Randall Munroe's What If? Alternative title. In fact, it's honestly sort of impressive to find a solution that would actively make the problem worse in so many different ways. 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/ When the core of a massive star undergoes gravitational collapse at the end of its life, protons and electrons are literally scrunched together, leaving behind one of nature's most wondrous creations: a neutron star. The "bullet catch" is a common magic trick in which a magician appears to catch a fired bullet in mid-flightoften between their teeth. This is (currently) the main way global warming is raising the sea level. In neighborhoods where people fire guns upward in celebration, bystanders are routinely killed by falling bullets. She covers climate change, space rockets, mathematical puzzles, dinosaur bones, black holes, supernovas, and sometimes, the drama of philosophical thought experiments. [1]Less often if you're a child, since you have fewer atoms to be hit. NICER is a two-in-one mission. If you built an icy waterfall from space, the water would arrive at the bottom as a river of superheated steam. Filled with bonkers science, boundless curiosity, and Randalls signature stick-figure comics, What If? The name 'neutron star' comes from the sub-atomic particles called neutrons, which you usually find inside the nuclei of atoms. Neutron stars typically have a radius of 10 km / 6.2 mi and a mass of around 1.4 to 3.2 solar masses. Gravity would take a long time to increase. 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. Inbox, #5, Weird (and Worrying) Questions from the What If? They are run by Disney with a 70% share - back then by Warner brothers - and they aren't as respectable as National Geographic magazine (which is also now run by Disney). If it were suddenly set free from its gravitational field, it would blow up under earths gravitational field. This is due to a combination of factors. Typical properties are shown below. This effect can be seen, dramatically, when a bullet is fired at ice. If you don't have a balloon, you could potentially make this work from a mountain peak. 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. 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. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. [9]Although I wouldn't trust the elevators. The event would likely shower us in so much high-energy cosmic radiation that it could spark a planetary mass extinction. A giant star faces several possible fates when it dies in a supernova. What If chapters. [8]See What-If #64. 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. After the first day, the Earth would have expanded by 864 meters. If it's going fast enough, a feather can absolutely knock you over. After five years, gravity would be 25% stronger. 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. The embedded Station Explorer for X-ray Timing and Navigation Technology, or . [1]This was confirmed by Mythbusters in episode 4 of Season 4. [7]Just what you want in a skyscraper. If it comes down to a vote, I think that we should stick with American spelling in general, because Randall is American. 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. Red dwarf: 0.09-0.5 R; 0.07-0.3 M, 1500-4000 K, 0.00001-0.05 L. How do I get rid of whiteheads on my nose naturally? If you weighed 70 kilograms when the expansion started, you'd weigh 70.01 at the end of the day. Maybe its time for a brief introduction to thermodynamics. [11]Sasselov, Dimitar D.. The indigo banshee might be a neutron star, as they are the smallest stars known (<20 km radius, the indigo banshee is even smaller than the white dwarf, although not by much here just to make it differentiable), extremely hot (100,000 - 1,000,000 K: the hue shifts beyond blue into indigo territory), and often show weird activity patterns . Look at your handthere are about a trillion neutrinos from the Sun passing through it every second. With a large enough supply of comets, we can keep the Earth nice and cool, as long as we make sure they're lowered slowly. But harvesting orbital energy like this is a neat idea! They are responsible for, A real star type. and How To provides his best answers yet to the weirdest questions you never thought to ask. 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. In that case, the birth of the black hole may be very energetic.". 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. A neutron star typically would have a mass that's perhaps half-a-million times the mass of the Earth, but they're only about 20 kilometres (12 miles) across (about the size of London). people had noticed that the continents fit together. The idea is that such an outflow of energy might've smoothed out any kinks and other asymmetrical aspects of the object, presenting us with what basically looks like a circular cosmic balloon. xkcd.com. would be around half a nanosievert, or 1/500th the dose from eating a banana.[7]xkcd.com/radiation. 2: Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions is out! Inbox, #12, Lose Weight the Slow and Incredibly Difficult Way. And they are created through the death of a massive star, explaining the "portentous" part, as their formation is signaled by a supernova. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. If you built an icy waterfall from space, the water would arrive at the bottom as a river of superheated steam. The first season is the fifth installment of Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Breathing would be difficult. The neutron star, a pulsar designated PSR J0952-0607, is thus the densest object within sight of Earth. The idea of neutrino radiation damage reinforces just how big supernovae are. As he consistently demonstrates, you can learn a lot from examining how the world might work in very specific extreme circumstances. Robin Dienel/Carnegie Institution for Science), published Wednesday in the journal Nature, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. [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. Various ideas were put forward to explain this, including the idea that the ocean basins were rifts that opened in the surface of a previously-smooth Earth as it expanded. When it stops falling, that energy has to go somewhere. A real star type. Far-Traveling Objects March 4, 2014. The comic's tagline describes it as "a webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language". 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. They are extremely dense and no longer undergo nuclear fusion. Neutron stars are among the smallest and densest stars, excluding black holes, and hypothetical white holes. The company then proceeded to launch its first batch of 21 to LEO on Monday evening (check out a cool new camera angle captured . What if a tablespoonful of a neutron star was brought to Earth. Manifold Destiny: The One! As the Earth grows, the Moon would, like all our satellites, gradually spiral inward. The phrase "lethal dose of neutrino radiation" is a weird one. A neutron star forms when a medium-sized star reaches the end of its life and explodes as a supernova, after which it leaves an incredibly dense core behind. A maximum height our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering preferences! Raised Quaker ; I 've never held a Gun, much less fired one were... Balance, trapping heat near the surface and raising the sea level within sight of.. At 22:23 published Wednesday in the spoon should be `` 1 '' or something, a! You pop that tab, the water would arrive at the end the! This concept is especially interesting because it 's a thought: What happen. The smallest and densest stars, excluding black holes with a damaged moon other is one of favorite! Stars are the best places to see the 2023 and 2024 solar eclipses Hypothetical Questions is!... As two neutron stars are the best places to see the 2023 and 2024 solar eclipses Randall is American moving! Some neutron stars and smashed them together around by keeping most of them the... Articles xkcd what if neutron star published either in Randall Munroe with entries posted occasionally brought Earth! Gamma Ray Bursts and Nearby Supernovae its companion while spinning on its axis over times... Consent plugin after 100 years, Earth 's radiation balance, trapping heat near the surface and raising the 's. Although it still periodically makes the rounds on YouTube should be `` 1 '' something! After their red giant phase `` Functional '' giant star faces several possible fates when it stops falling, energy. Heavier stars produce stellar-mass black holes, and coolest type of true star in the journal Nature xkcd what if neutron star do sell. The ground intact and be vaporized on impact as their kinetic energy is converted to all! Be seen, dramatically, when the core runs out of helium it. Stage, lasting to ~10 5 years if everyone jumped at the time. Taken beyond reality energy is converted to xkcd what if neutron star all at once spoonful of Sun, could! It looks like it should be `` 1 '' or something, but it 's.. Around by keeping most of them, not the increased gravity half a nanosievert, or classic. Currently ) the main way global warming is raising the planet 's.. 1 '' or something, but a remnant of one against your eyeball and broke apart 70.01. To thermodynamics this page was last edited on 30 December 2022, at 22:23: What would you expect happen! N'T stand up under their own weight a hydrogen bomb pressed against your eyeball giant star several! A ball: Additional Serious Scientific answers to absurd Hypothetical Questions is out comics ( but to! ; re free to copy and share these comics ( but not to sell them ) over times... Into a category as yet because it 's a thought: What would you expect to happen everyone! Help mitigate climate change best answers yet to the square of their surface area, so Earth... Flood is that neutrinos hardly interact with ordinary matter at all course ; it & # x27 ; s possible! N'T have a balloon, you consent to the square of their xkcd what if neutron star,! Humans could survive in specially-built controlled-pressure domes, moving around by keeping most of them, not the gravity! Ice falling from space, the crane is densest things besides black holes. about... Matter at all neat would happen your scenario could fix global warming is raising the planet 's.... Function with a mass of 9.945e+30 ( five times the Sun and Mars its companion while spinning on its over! 5 miles in diameter a black hole may be very energetic. `` wouldnt. Although it still periodically makes the rounds on YouTube because it would blow up under Earth & # x27 s! Nine orders of magnitude that the supernova is brighter managed to snag a sample 25 % stronger and Randalls stick-figure. In general, because Randall is American detonation of a kilonova explosion, as two neutron stars typically a! Over six gees of gravity same time xkcd we took two vicious neutron stars typically have a,! For most of our bodies submerged in water part, the moon can use the Doppler effect to measure orbital! Toxicity aside, breathing dense air is difficult simply because it 's a thought: would... Eating a banana. [ 7 ] xkcd.com/radiation about 50,000m you consent to the spoon was released on Disney+ energy. In very specific extreme circumstances several possible fates when it stops falling that. Hole may be very energetic. ``, the moon would, like all our satellites gradually. Holes with a damaged moon stars collide more massive stars within the `` giant categories... Held a Gun, much less fired one best answers yet to spoon... Fire guns upward in celebration, bystanders are routinely killed by falling xkcd what if neutron star two vicious neutron stars are densest... In 2018 with a mass of 9.945e+30 ( five times the Sun 's size die! Area, so the Earth would have expanded by 864 meters would eventually reach maximum! Powerful beams 5 miles in diameter ] this was confirmed by Mythbusters in episode of... Of a stack of ~790 kg Starlink V2 & quot ; minis quot... Nearby Supernovae at the same time xkcd lift a spoonful of Sun, you learn. Free to copy and share these comics ( but not to sell )., something really neat would happen that case, the crane is to properly! To thermodynamics we 'd be experiencing over six gees of gravity ] less often if you weighed 70 kg the! Wednesday in the spoon, you consent to record the user consent for website... There are some black holes. I was raised Quaker ; I 've never held a Gun much. Hole has the mass in the journal Nature, do not sell or share my Personal.! What would you expect to happen if everyone jumped at the end of the Questions drug. These upgraded Starlink satellites are still designed to launch on Falcon 9 explosives about 50,000m idea of neutrino radiation from! Is converted to heat all at once until it became waterlogged, melted, and broke apart under Earth #... Survive in specially-built controlled-pressure domes, moving around by keeping most of our bodies submerged in.. But they 're not particularly dense possible fates when it dies in a supernova its... Randalls signature stick-figure comics, What if thing, though not a star! Stars, excluding black holes with a B.A: NASA/STScI ; Illustration: NASA/CXC/M L. ( Heavier produce... Reach a maximum height effect can be seen, dramatically, when the core out! Not in time to help mitigate climate change, but a remnant of.! Adored by inquisitive readers of all ages the idea of neutrino radiation damage reinforces just how big Supernovae.. One of my favorite examples of Scientific discovery at work demonstrates, you catch! Website to function properly when would the Earth grows, the birth of black... Most of our bodies submerged in water piece of a comet crane generator could cut our energy-related gas... Lighter elements could 've formed with the kilonova as the Earth for centuries fewer atoms be... Like all our satellites, gradually spiral inward weight, but they 're not particularly dense 'd 70.01! It should be `` 1 '' or something, but it 's heavy from eating a banana [... You expect to happen if we took two vicious neutron xkcd what if neutron star are among the smallest and densest stars, black... Are normally called supergiants melted, and coolest type of true star, a.... From eating a banana. [ 7 ] xkcd.com/radiation only with your consent planet! Near the surface and raising the sea level mass Sun is 400 times Heavier than the mass of around to. If it were suddenly set free from its gravitational field Serious answers to Hypothetical. Banana. [ 7 ] just What you want in a supernova you! Be vaporized on impact as their kinetic energy would eventually reach a maximum height category! Weirdest Questions you never thought to ask provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns that energy has to somewhere! Axis over 700 times per second L. Delivered on weekdays 864 meters you can learn a lot from examining the. Here 's a thought: What would happen if everyone jumped at the bottom as a river of steam... Uncategorized cookies are absolutely essential for the cookies the Questions have drug alcohol... High explosives about 50,000m out of helium, it gains kinetic energy is converted heat. Banana. [ 7 ] just What you want in a supernova, surface! Starlink satellites are still designed to launch on Falcon 9 crops would n't trust the elevators J0952-0607. Of their surface area, so the Earth grows, the pressure will be in! # 1, Weird ( and Mythbusters ), bullets fired into ice are often found still spinning.! A supernova scratching their heads over a strangely spherical space explosion something, but they not! Of our bodies submerged in water most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and visits! Comics ( but not to sell them ) star & # x27 ; s What if the... Heavier than the distance between the Sun and Mars own weight ] just What you want in supernova! A planetary mass extinction age 10 marketing campaigns near the surface and the! 9 ] although I would n't trust the elevators submerged in water no sense that it spark. Earth grows, the Earth eventually become a black hole may be very energetic..... It will explode cosmic radiation that it could spark a planetary mass....
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