Following an epic stellar explosion of energy as a result of the collapse of a massive star, a mysterious astrological body is left.

That body in question was the star of an informative lecture on Nov. 13, titled “Neutron Stars: Indisputably the Most Interesting Objects in the Universe”.

Presented by part-time Sacramento State physics and astronomy lecturer Kyle Watters, the 90-minute seminar covered the origin, evolution, mysteries and discoveries surrounding neutron stars.

The lecture was part of Sac State’s physics and astronomy colloquium series, which are held on Thursday afternoons, from 4-5:30 p.m. in Mendocino Hall 1015.

Resulting from massive stars undergoing a supernova, neutron stars are one of the smallest and most dense objects known to exist within the universe.

“They have as much mass as the sun, and yet are only 20 kilometers across on average,” said Watters. “That’s about as large as a typical city. They are incredible strange objects, surrounded by questions.”

Neutron stars have remarkable properties, as discussed by Watters. One teaspoon of mass from a neutron star is comparable in mass to all of Earth; all lifeforms, buildings and natural landscapes included.

Surface temperatures of neutron stars have been measured at about ~6 x 10^5 Kelvin. For comparison, the surface temperature of our sun is measured to be just under six thousand degrees Kelvin.

A large portion of the lecture was devoted to an important subcategory of neutron stars.

Pulsars, which rotate very rapidly and emit beams of electromagnetic radiation, were Watters’ primary reasoning behind why neutron stars are the most interesting objects in the universe.

First observed in 1967 by Jocelyn Bell Burnell and Antony Hewish, pulsars send out extremely regular emissions of radio signal which lead to their discovery, and to the discovery of neutron stars.

Because of how regular pulsars send out emissions, they can be used as perfect cosmic clocks to help in the search for gravitational waves; a concept of general relativity that still eludes scientists.

Pulsars can also aid in the discovery of exoplanets, or planets outside our solar system.

“I appreciated how [Watters] went into how important pulsar research is,” said sophomore computer science major Jose Morris. “It sounds like a lot of work though. I don’t envy them.”

Because of the extreme nature of neutron stars, research surrounding them is difficult. There are many things not yet known about neutron stars, like their internal state.

Watters explained a majority of the research on the astrological bodies are done either with radio astronomy or through simulations.

Near the end of his lecture, Watters discussed his own research in the Australian outback where he contributed to the discovery of the pulsar J1028-5819.

A majority of the attendees to the lecture were Sac State physics majors. However, the event was open to anyone interested.

“It was very informative,” said freshman communication studies major Preston Cormac. “I don’t know a lot about astronomy, but [Watters] did a great job at making the whole thing accessible to someone like me.”

Because of the upcoming Thanksgiving break, the next physics colloquium will not be held at the usual time. “Topological Insulators: the next generation of materials,” hosted by UC Davis physics professor David Nisson, will be presented on Dec. 4 at the usual time and location.