Q and A of the Day: White Dwarfs vs. Neutron Stars?
Submitted by chandra on Fri, 2010-01-29 07:59Q:
What are five differences between white dwarfs and neutron stars?
A:
The major difference is due to the way in which they are formed.
1. White dwarfs are formed from the collapse of low mass stars, less than about 10 time the mass of the Sun. This star loses most of its mass in a wind, leaving behind a core that is less than 1.44 solar mass. On the other hand, neutron stars are formed in the catastrophic collapse of the core of a massive star.
Other differences follow: