The Most Dangerous Stuff in the Universe - Strange Stars Explained

Neutron stars are the densest things that are not black holes.

In their cores, we might find the most dangerous substance in existence:

Strange matter.

A bizarre thing so extreme,

that it bends the rules of the universe

and could infect and destroy everything it comes into contact with--

--or it could teach us about how the universe began.

Maybe both.

[Intro music]

To understand how extreme strange matter really is, we first need to get a few basics.

What is a neutron star, and how does strange matter break the rules of the universe?

To get all of this into one video, we'll grossly oversimplify a few things,

but we'll provide you with further reading if you want more details.

A neutron star is what remains after a very massive star explodes in a supernova.

When this happens, the star's core collapses under its own gravity

with such a strong inward force that it squeezes nuclei and particles together violently.

Electrons are pushed into protons, so they merge and turn into neutrons.

All the "nothing" inside of atoms is suddenly completely filled with particles

that really don't want to be close to each other, but have no choice.

They desperately push back against gravity, against the collapse.

If gravity wins, they will become a black hole.

If they win, they become a neutron star.

This makes neutron stars like giant atomic nuclei the size of a city,