TNPSC Thervupettagam

Most Massive Neutron Star - J0740+6620

September 24 , 2019 1762 days 996 0
  • Astronomers observing a distant star system have identified what may be the most massive neutron star ever discovered.
  • Neutron stars like the newly discovered J0740+6620 are the remains of dead stars.
  • Stars run for millions or billions of years but eventually run out of fuel. 
  • Then they become one of the three
    • Smaller stars become white dwarfs (like Sun)
    • Larger stars collapse into black holes
    • Stars with mass equivalent to 8 and 29 solar mass become Neutron Stars

About  J0740+6620

  • MSP J0740+6620 is about 2.14 times more massive than sun.
  • But it is less than 15 miles in diameter.
  • The mass is determined using a principle called “Shapiro time delay”.
  • Because of the extreme density of MSP J0740+6620 it might soon collapse into a black hole.

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