Neutron stars are the collapsed cores of supergiant stars.[1] They are created as a result of supernovas and gravitational collapse,[2] and are the second smallest and densest class of stellar objects.[3] In the cores of these stars, protons and electrons combine to form neutrons.[2] Neutron stars can be classified as pulsars if they are magnetized, if they rotate, and if they emit beams of electromagnetic radiation out of their magnetic poles.[4]
^ ab"Imagine the Universe!: Neutron Stars". National Aeronautics and Space Administration - Goddard Space Flight Center. 23 September 2023. Retrieved 7 January 2024.