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A teaspoon of neutron-star matter weighs a billion tons

Original: A single teaspoon of neutron-star matter would weigh around a billion tons — roughly as much as a mountain. When a massi

Astronomy enthusiasts are sharing a striking fact about neutron stars: a single teaspoon of their matter would weigh around a billion tons, roughly the mass of a mountain. The posts explain that when a massive star dies, its core collapses so violently that protons and electrons merge into neutrons, packing more than the Sun's mass into a sphere only about 20 kilometres wide.

Why now: Mind-boggling physics facts about extreme cosmic objects regularly go viral on social media

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• A single teaspoon of neutron-star matter would weigh around a billion tons — roughly as much as a mountain. When a massive star dies, its core collapses so violently that atoms get crushed: protons and electrons merge into neutrons, packing more than the Sun's mass into a ball… · eatrics · 5

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