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The Question
(Submitted June 07, 2001)
The Chandrasekhar Limit states that the maximum mass for a white dwarf star
is 1.4 Solar masses. I am wondering whether we know the maximum mass for a
neutron star, at which point more mass will create a black hole?
The Answer
Thanks for the question. The currently popular maximum
neutron star mass is about 3-3.2 Solar masses. (However, being a
scientific subject, there are some researchers who contest this limit
on a few arguments.) Neutron stars are created
when normal stars of 4-8 Solar masses undergo supernova explosions
and throw off most of their outer material. The remaining protons and
electrons collapse and are fused together to form a dense ball of
neutrons. For some more information of neutron stars, see
http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/know_l1/pulsars.html.
Cheers,
Scott & Laura
for Ask a High Energy Astronomer
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