The star, named J0740+6620, has a mass more than two times that of our sun, but is just 18 miles wide.
Scientists have discovered one of the most massive neutron stars ever, having identified an 18 mile-wide pulsar with a mass over two times that of the sun. The pulsar, named J0740+6620, could provide an insight into the"tipping point" of neutron stars—where these extremely dense objects collapse and become black holes.
"Neutron stars are as mysterious as they are fascinating," study author Thankful Cromartie, from the University of Virginia, said in a statement."These city-sized objects are essentially ginormous atomic nuclei. They are so massive that their interiors take on weird properties. Finding the maximum mass that physics and nature will allow can teach us a great deal about this otherwise inaccessible realm in astrophysics.
The researchers say 2.14 solar masses is approaching the level of how massive and compact an object can get before it breaks down and turns into a black hole—a region of space where the gravitational pull is so strong nothing can escape, not even light.
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