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Space / DAY 31 OF 40

A star with serious compression issues.

Neutron stars pack stellar mass into a city-sized remnant.

Here's the strange part.

A neutron star takes the idea of packing light and does the exact opposite. These stellar remnants can squeeze more mass than the Sun into something roughly city-sized. The familiar billion-ton teaspoon comparison helps convey that density, but it is not a serving suggestion. Scientists still investigate what matter does under such extreme conditions; the analogy is easier than the physics. (NASA Goddard)

KEEP IT HONEST

The teaspoon comparison is a density analogy. It is not an object you could scoop out and keep in a kitchen.

REALITY CHECK · TRUE OR FALSE?

Please leave the teaspoon in the kitchen.

The teaspoon comparison describes a sample you could scoop out and keep.

Your 40-day trail ↗

Go straight to the receipts.

Curious about the methods, dates or details? Open the original source and keep the caveat in view.

ORIGINAL SOURCENASA GoddardOpen publication ↗NEXT IN THE 40-DAY TRAIL / DAY 32An octopus edits the message. ↗