THE first neutron star to be measured turns out to be bigger than
expected.
Using NASA鈥檚 Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer satellite, scientists in the US
looked at X-rays emitted by gas clumps falling onto a neutron star. They found
it has a radius of 18 kilometres.
Theories predicted that the star鈥檚 gravity should squeeze it to a smaller
radius. 鈥淚f our work stands up, neutron stars are stiffer than we thought,鈥�
reported Frederick Lamb of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign at
this week鈥檚 meeting of the American Physical Society in Columbus, Ohio.
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