(Image: P Challis and R Kirshner (Harvard-Smithsonian Center For Astrophysics)/NASA/ESA/STScI/SPL)
A NEW kind of star may be lurking in the debris from a nearby supernova explosion. If confirmed, the “quark star” could offer fresh insights into the earliest moments of the universe.
When supernovae explode, they leave behind either a black hole or a dense remnant called a neutron star. However, recent calculations suggest a third possibility: a quark star, which forms when the pressure falls just short of creating a black hole.
Astronomers believe these form after the neutron star stage, when the pressure inside a supernova rises…
