What speed do the outer stellar layers reach while falling onto the halted neutron core?
Answer
Often reaching 70,000 kilometers per second
Even though the internal iron core successfully halts its collapse due to neutron degeneracy pressure, the huge volume of overlying stellar material—which includes remnants of silicon, oxygen, and other fused elements—is still plunging inward at tremendous velocity. This material has not been stopped by the core's resistance yet. The text specifies that these infalling outer layers frequently reach speeds as high as 70,000 kilometers per second just before they collide violently with the newly formed, extremely rigid neutron core surface.
#Videos
High Mass Stars: Crash Course Astronomy #31 - YouTube
Related Questions
What force perfectly counteracts gravity during a star's stable main sequence phase?What structure develops in high-mass stars due to successive fusion cycles?Which element represents the end point for energy-releasing fusion in a massive stellar core?What is the immediate consequence when a massive star's core converts silicon into iron?What physical process occurs within the iron core during its catastrophic implosion?What phenomenon halts the continued inward collapse of the newly formed super-dense core?What speed do the outer stellar layers reach while falling onto the halted neutron core?What must occur for the shockwave generated at the core rebound to create a visible supernova explosion?What remnant forms if the post-explosion core mass remains below three solar masses (TOV limit)?What condition causes the remnant core to surpass the neutron star stage and become a black hole?