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‘Black Widow’ Is Heaviest-known Neutron Star

时间:2022-08-29 08:51:04

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Space scientists have observed what they believe is the most massive known example of an object called a neutron1 star.

It has been called a "black widow" since it gained much of its mass by taking it from another star which it orbits.

The star recently discovered by astronomers3 turns more than seven hundred times every second. Its mass is 2.35 times greater than our sun. The researchers said the star is close to the highest possible mass for an object of its kind. If it were any more massive it would collapse4 into a massive black hole.

The researchers published their findings recently in Astrophysical Journal Letters.

A neutron star is the dense5, collapsed6 center, or core, of a massive star that exploded in an event called a supernova. This neutron star is a kind that is highly magnetized, called a pulsar. From Earth, pulsars appear to give off light repeatedly in short moments, like a lighthouse.

Only one other neutron star is known to turn more quickly.

Roger Romani is director of Stanford University's Center for Space Science and Astrophysics in the U.S. state of California. He helped write the research. Romani said, "The heavier the neutron star, the denser7 the material in its core."

Romani added, "So as the heaviest neutron star known, this object presents the densest8 material in the observable universe. If it was any heavier it should collapse to a black hole, and then the stuff inside would be behind the event horizon, forever sealed off from any observation."

Scientists use the term "event horizon" to describe a point close to a black hole beyond which nothing can escape including light.

Romani said, "Since we don't yet know how matter works at these densities9, the existence of this neutron star is an important probe of these physical extremes."

The star is officially known as PSR J0952-0607. It is about 20,000 light years from Earth. A light year is the distance light travels in a year. The researchers studied it using the Keck I telescope in the state of Hawaii.

Stars that are about eight or more times the sun's mass change the chemical hydrogen into heavier elements. When they build up about 1.4 times the mass of our sun in the element iron, their core collapses10 into a neutron star.

A neutron star is very small—about the size of a city. But within that small area, it holds more mass than our Sun.

The astronomers call this kind of star a "black widow." The name comes from a kind of spider. The black widow female is known to eat the male after mating. Astronomers call star systems with related qualities "spider binaries11."

The star is believed to have started as a neutron star with the usual mass, about 1.4 times that of our sun. But its gravitational pull took material from the star in its system.

That appears to have caused it to gain mass nearing the physical limit. Beyond that limit, scientists say, the star should collapse into a black hole. Black holes are the densest of all known objects.

The other star in the system has lost about 98 percent of its mass to the black widow star. It remains12 about 20 times the mass of our solar system's largest planet, Jupiter. But far less massive than a normal star.

Words in This Story

astronomer2 –n. a scientist who studies stars, planets, and other objects in outer space

seal – v. to close (something) tightly so that air or liquid cannot get in or out

probe – n. careful examination or investigation of something


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1 neutron neutron     
n.中子
参考例句:
  • Neutron is neutral and slightly heavier than the proton.中子是中性的,比质子略重。
  • Based on the neutron energy,the value of weighting factor was given.根据中子能量给出了相应的辐射权重因子的数值。
2 astronomer DOEyh     
n.天文学家
参考例句:
  • A new star attracted the notice of the astronomer.新发现的一颗星引起了那位天文学家的注意。
  • He is reputed to have been a good astronomer.他以一个优秀的天文学者闻名于世。
3 astronomers 569155f16962e086bd7de77deceefcbd     
n.天文学者,天文学家( astronomer的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Astronomers can accurately foretell the date,time,and length of future eclipses. 天文学家能精确地预告未来日食月食的日期、时刻和时长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Astronomers used to ask why only Saturn has rings. 天文学家们过去一直感到奇怪,为什么只有土星有光环。 来自《简明英汉词典》
4 collapse aWvyE     
vi.累倒;昏倒;倒塌;塌陷
参考例句:
  • The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
  • The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。
5 dense aONzX     
a.密集的,稠密的,浓密的;密度大的
参考例句:
  • The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。
  • The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。
6 collapsed cwWzSG     
adj.倒塌的
参考例句:
  • Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
  • The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。
7 denser denser     
adj. 不易看透的, 密集的, 浓厚的, 愚钝的
参考例句:
  • The denser population necessitates closer consolidation both for internal and external action. 住得日益稠密的居民,对内和对外都不得不更紧密地团结起来。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源
  • As Tito entered the neighbourhood of San Martino, he found the throng rather denser. 蒂托走近圣马丁教堂附近一带时,发现人群相当密集。
8 densest 196f3886c6c5dffe98d26ccca5d0e045     
密集的( dense的最高级 ); 密度大的; 愚笨的; (信息量大得)难理解的
参考例句:
  • Past Botoi some of the densest jungle forests on Anopopei grew virtually into the water. 过了坊远湾,岛上的莽莽丛林便几乎直长到水中。
  • Earth is the densest of all of these remaining planets. 地球是所剩下行星中最致密的星球。
9 densities eca5c1ea104bef3058e858fe084fb6d0     
密集( density的名词复数 ); 稠密; 密度(固体、液体或气体单位体积的质量); 密度(磁盘存贮数据的可用空间)
参考例句:
  • The range of densities of interest is about 3.5. 有用的密度范围为3.5左右。
  • Densities presumably can be probed by radar. 利用雷达也许还能探测出气体的密度。
10 collapses 9efa410d233b4045491e3d6f683e12ed     
折叠( collapse的第三人称单数 ); 倒塌; 崩溃; (尤指工作劳累后)坐下
参考例句:
  • This bridge table collapses. 这张桥牌桌子能折叠。
  • Once Russia collapses, the last chance to stop Hitler will be gone. 一旦俄国垮台,抑止希特勒的最后机会就没有了。
11 binaries a620ad017ea8bd9bcc6be44fe1110dc1     
n.一双( binary的名词复数 );双体;二进制数;双子星
参考例句:
  • First MAME4ALL alpha binaries is out for testing purposes. 首个MAME4ALLα预览测试版是为了测试的目而放出的。 来自互联网
  • Security updates to the client binaries. 对客户端的二进制文件进行安全更新。 来自互联网
12 remains 1kMzTy     
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹
参考例句:
  • He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
  • The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

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