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What shape do you think a neutron star that does not rotate around its axis can have?
Question Date: 2006-07-22
Answer 1:

Well I am not sure. In the process whereby a neutron star is made due to the collapse of a white dwarf star, the conservation of angular momentum insures that AS THE WHITE DWARF SHRINKS TO BECOME A NEUTRON STAR, its rotation or SPIN rate will go up by millions to billions. So even if the white dwarf is very slowly spinning, the neutron star will spin millions to billions of time faster. Strong magnetic effects may also complicate the picture. So a non rotating neutron star probably cant exist.


Answer 2:

It would be a perfect sphere, due to its gravity. It is only if it is spinning that its shape would be anything else (and even then, it would only be non-spherical at the most minute degree).



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