Which of the following best describes what would happen if a 1.5 solar mass neutron star, with a diameter of a few kilometers, were suddenly to appear in your hometown?
A) The entire mass of the Earth would end up as a thin layer, about 1 cm thick, over the surface of the neutron star.
B) It would rapidly sink to the center of the Earth.
C) The combined mass of the Earth and the neutron star would cause the neutron star to collapse into a black hole.
D) It would crash through the Earth, creating a large crater, and exit the Earth on the other side.
E) It would crash into the Earth, throwing vast amounts of dust into the atmosphere which in turn would cool the Earth. Such a scenario is probably what caused the extinction of the dinosaurs.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A neutron star is extremely dense, packing the mass of about 1.5 suns into a radius of only a few kilometers. If such a neutron star were to suddenly appear in your hometown, it would pull everything around it towards it with a powerful gravitational force. The entire mass of the Earth would end up as a thin layer, about 1 cm thick, over the surface of the neutron star. This would result in massive destruction and loss of life.

Which of the Following Best Describes What Would Happen If