Neutron stars are among the wackiest celestial bodies our universe is home to

Sep 4, 2014 09:49 GMT  ·  By

The universe is a pretty amazing place, and science is a long way from unlocking its mysteries. Heck, we've only just discovered that our home galaxy sits in a supercluster 500 million light-years across.

Not at all surprisingly, the celestial bodies the universe accommodates for are too nothing short of impressive. Still, there are some space objects that really take the cake when it comes to wackiness.

Take neutron stars, for example. As detailed in the animated video below, these celestial bodies form when regular stars shed their outer layers in a massive explosion and collapse onto themselves.

Neutron stars pack about as much mass as 1 to 3 Suns. However, this mass is all compressed in an object measuring just 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) across.

The average neutron star has a gravity pull so great that, were somebody to drop an object from a height of 1 meter (3.3 feet) over its surface, it would accelerate to 7,200,000 kilometers per hour (4,473,872 miles per hour).

According to astronomers who have taken the time to study them, neutron stars are mind-bogglingly hyperactive. Thus, they spin at a rate of several times – sometimes even hundreds of times – per second.

Check out the video below to learn more about neutron stars, and get ready to be amazed by how cool these celestial bodies are.