Question

"Which of the following best describes what would happen if a 1.5 solar mass neutron star, with a diameter of a few kilometers, were suddenly to appear in your hometown?

a) The entire mass of the Earth would end up as a thin layer, about 1 cm thick, over the surface of the neutron star.
b) It would rapidly sink to the center of the Earth.
c) It would crash into the Earth, throwing vast amounts of dust into the atmosphere which in turn would cool the Earth. Such a scenario is probably what caused the extinction of the dinosaurs.
d) It would crash through the Earth, creating a large crater, and exit the Earth on the other side."

Answer 1

If a 1.5 solar mass neutron star with a diameter of a few kilometers were to suddenly appear in your hometown, it would crash through the Earth, creating a large crater, and exit the Earth on the other side.

Step-by-step explanation:

A neutron star is an extremely dense object that forms when a massive star collapses under its own gravity. If a 1.5 solar mass neutron star with a diameter of a few kilometers were to suddenly appear in your hometown, the most likely outcome is that it would crash into the Earth, creating a large crater and causing significant destruction. Option d) It would crash through the Earth, creating a large crater, and exit the Earth on the other side, best describes what would happen in this scenario.