FAQs on Neutron Stars and Pulsars. Advanced Level Article on this topic. The Life Cycle of Stars Booklet Show me related lesson plans Neutron Stars and Pulsars Neutron Stars Neutron stars are about 10 km in diameter and have the mass of about 1.4 times that of our Sun. Because of its small size and high density, a neutron star possesses a surface gravitational field about 300,000 times that of Earth.
Neutron stars are one of the possible ends for a star.
They result from massive stars which have mass greater than 4 to 8 times that of our sun. After these stars have finished burning their nuclear fuel, they undergo a supernova explosion. This explosion blows off the outer layers of a star into a beautiful supernova remnent. The central region of the star collapses under gravity. It collapses so much that protons and electrons combine to form neutrons.