--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Further calculations showed that when…" description: "\"“Further calculations showed that when collapsing stars are a little more massive than the Chandrasekhar limit, the pressure of the resulting neutrons-..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec2/charles-seife-18021_astronomy_further-calculations-showed-that-when-co_2510668.jpg" --- # Further calculations showed that when collapsing stars are… ![“Further calculations showed that when collapsing stars are a little more massive than the Chandrasekhar limit, the pressure of the resulting neutrons-similar to the pressure of electrons-can stave off collapse for a little while; this is what happens in a neutron star. At this point, the star is…” quote by Charles Seife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec2/charles-seife-18021_astronomy_further-calculations-showed-that-when-co_2510668.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec2/charles-seife-18021_astronomy_further-calculations-showed-that-when-co_2510668.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ec2/charles-seife-18021_astronomy_further-calculations-showed-that-when-co_2510668.jpg) > ““Further calculations showed that when collapsing stars are a little more massive than the Chandrasekhar limit, the pressure of the resulting neutrons-similar to the pressure of electrons-can stave off collapse for a little while; this is what happens in a neutron star. At this point, the star is so dense that every teaspoon weighs hundreds of millions of tons. There is a limit, though, to even the pressure that neutrons can bear. Some astrophysicists believe that a little more squeezing makes the neutrons break down into their component quarks, creating a quark star. But that is the last stronghold. After that, all hell breaks loose. When an extremely massive star collapses, it disappears. The gravitational attraction is so great that physicists know of no force in the universe that can stop its collapse-not the repulsion of its electrons, not the pressure of neutron against neutron or quark against quark-nothing. The dying star gets smaller and smaller and smaller. Then...zero. The star crams itself into zero space. This is a black hole, an object so paradoxical that some scientists believe that black holes can be used to travel faster than light-and backward in time.”” [Charles Seife](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-seife/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Extremely massive stars collapse beyond neutron and quark star limits, forming black holes where known forces cannot halt collapse. **In simple terms:** Massive stars become black holes when pressure can’t stop collapse. Key Takeaway Recognize limits of matter under extreme gravity. Themes astrophysics gravity extreme matter black holes Mood wonder awe curiosity Type scientific philosophical When to use this quote - Scientific lectures - academic courses - popular science articles - space exploration discussions Key Concepts Chandrasekhar limit neutron degeneracy quark deconfinement event horizon Questions to Reflect On - What does the existence of black holes imply about the universe’s ultimate limits? - How might future physics change our view of singularities? A Different Perspective Black holes may not allow faster‑than‑light travel; theories remain speculative. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Astronomy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astronomy/) [Black hole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-hole/) [Black holes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-holes/) [Collapsing Stars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/collapsing-stars-1152671/) [Neutron Quark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neutron-quark-1152673/) [Neutron Star](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neutron-star-1152670/) [Neutrons Break](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neutrons-break-1152672/) [Pressure Neutron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pressure-neutron-1152674/) ## Related quotes > [“Even stars are formed by loss. 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After that, all hell breaks loose. When an extremely massive star collapses, it disappears. The gravitational attraction is so great that physicists know of no force in the universe that can stop its collapse-not the repulsion of its electrons, not the pressure of neutron against neutron or quark against quark-nothing. The dying star gets smaller and smaller and smaller. Then...zero. The star crams itself into zero space. 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