Compact object
Videos
In astronomy, the term compact object refers collectively to white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes. It could also include exotic stars if such hypothetical, dense bodies are confirmed to exist.
The Eskimo Nebula is illuminated by a white dwarf at its center.
The Crab Nebula is a supernova remnant containing the Crab Pulsar, a neutron star.
A simulated black hole of ten solar masses, at a distance of 600 km
Black hole Messier 87 crop max res
Neutron star
Videos
A neutron star is the gravitationally collapsed core of a massive supergiant star. It results from the supernova explosion of a massive star—combined with gravitational collapse—that compresses the co
Compact object
…In astronomy, the term compact object (or compact star) refers collectively to white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes. It could also include exotic stars if such hypothetical, dense bodies are confirmed to exist. All compact objects have a high mass…
Image of the Crab Nebula taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. The wind echo of the Crab Pulsar can be seen on the center-right of the image.
Radiation from the rapidly spinning pulsar PSR B1509−58 makes nearby gas emit X-rays (gold) and illuminates the rest of the nebula, here seen in infrared (blue and red).
A computer simulation depicting a neutron star with accretion disk, spewing out X-rays through the magnetic axis
NASA artist's conception of a "starquake", or "stellar quake"