Can a Star Be Smaller Than a Planet?

skyatnightmagazine.com

2 pointsbelter3 comments

Two words: neutron star

But the article is so simplistic that it's hard to tell whether they're comparing things by mass, or by diameter, or just aren't bright enough to realize that it matters.

A neutron star used to be a star, and I've never heard anyone argue that such an object is a planet.

I believe gp's point is that Neutron Stars often have diameters around 10 km (so says Wikipedia anyway ). So, if you're comparing by-diameter and you count neutron stars as stars, then a neutron star can absolutely be smaller than a planet.

If, on the other hand, the comparison is by-mass, it's a different story.

All the best,

-HG

Reply on news.ycombinator.com