Astronomers spotted a star with a solid surface and no atmosphere

Using data from a NASA satellite, the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE), astronomers spotted a star that had a solid surface with no atmosphere.

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Hard to imagine the surface of such a star.

Bubblecar said:

Hard to imagine the surface of such a star.

“The solid crust of the star is thought to be composed of a lattice of ions, held together by the magnetic field. The atoms would not be spherical but elongated in the direction of the magnetic field.”

What a wacky universe

dv said:

Bubblecar said:

Hard to imagine the surface of such a star.

“The solid crust of the star is thought to be composed of a lattice of ions, held together by the magnetic field. The atoms would not be spherical but elongated in the direction of the magnetic field.”

What a wacky universe

For a very very unusual definition of the word “solid”.

For a start, there are no “atoms” at all. A magnetar is a neutron star, so not only are there no electrons orbiting atomic nuclei, there are no electrons at all, and no atomic nuclei either. Except in the outer “atmosphere”. And the strong magnetic field makes things even weirder.

I find it weird that it is lack of polarisation that makes astronomers think that the atmosphere is solid. In ordinary matter, light passing through crystalline solids is heavily polarised, much more so than passing through a liquid or gas. And here the magnetic field makes the subatomic particles align so they would be lined up as in a crystal.

Have to read the technical article to see why they think light through a solid wouldn’t be polarised.