The Pasta in Our Stars
Why scientists use gnocchi and lasagna to explain one of the most bizarre objects in the universe
Neutron stars exist under unfathomable conditions. For one to form, another star must grow old and die. When a giant star has burned through the fuel supply that makes it shine, its core collapses under its own weight, mashing electrons and protons together to produce neutrons. The force of the breakdown unleashes a shock wave that floods the rest of the star and shatters it. A spectacular glow envelops the shards, briefly outshining the rest of the stars in the galaxy. The light
