Atoms As Big As Mountains — Neutron Stars Explained
Neutron Stars are some of the strangest things in the Universe. Not quite massive enough to become black holes they are basically atoms as big as mountains with properties so extreme it’s mind-blowing. And if you get too close to a neutron star you are in big trouble…
It’s worth mentioning their staggering magnetic fields. The strongest magnets we’ve built are around 500,000 to 1 million times stronger than the Earth’s magnetic field. A neutron star has a magnetic field strength in the order of 100 million ~ 1 quadrillion times that of Earth’s. The strongest ones, Magnetars, one would not be able to get within 1000 km of, as the effect of the magnetic field on electrons would be so extreme, biological chemistry would completely break down. Physics is fascinating on the extreme edges.
