Astronomers have found fewer than 2,000 pulsars, but there should be about a billion neutron stars in the Milky Way. There are two reasons for this cause and one of them is age. Most neutron stars are billions of years old, indicating they have a lot of time to cool and slow down. These neutron stars fade into invisibility due to a lack of energy to power emissions at various wavelengths. Even young stars are invisible to us due to their narrow beams of light (Dunbar, B. (n.d.). Neutron stars.). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Neutron stars are all made up of atoms that have collapsed and it is basically one giant nucleus. The entire star becomes a single entity as electrons move side by side along with protons and neutrons in a gas or fluid. Neutron stars are quite small and if they were denser than they already are they would collapse into a black hole. Neutrons help scientists understand fundamental forces, general relativity, and the early universe. A few seconds after a star begins its transformation into a neutron star, the energy dispersed in neutrinos is equivalent to the combined light emitted by all stars in the observable universe. Most of the protons in a neutron star convert into neutrons and release surrounding particles known as neutrinos. Ninety-five percent of neutron stars are made up of neutrons ( Sundermier, A., n.d. ). Neutron stars can be extremely dangerous and can devastate the Earth. Because neutron stars have such a strong magnetic field, if they entered our solar system, they would wreak havoc. It would eliminate the orbits of all the planets. If it got close enough, it could raise tides that could tear our planet apart. The closest known neutron star is about 500 light-years away. It is very unlikely that we will feel the catastrophic effects of this any time soon since the closest star to earth, Proxima Centauri, has no influence on our planet ( Sundermier, A., n.d. ). The radiation coming from the magnetic field of a neutron star is relatively more dangerous. Unexpected movements of these fields can produce flares similar to solar flares, but much more powerful. Scientists know of no nearby magnetars that are powerful enough to cause damage to Earth. Please note: this is just a sample. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay On December 27, 2004, scientists observed Magnetar SGR 1806-20 producing a giant gamma-ray flare estimated to be about 50,000 light-years away. The flare radiated as much energy as the sun produces in 300,000 years, in 0.2 seconds. The flare saturated many spacecraft detectors and produced detectable disturbances in Earth's ionosphere (Sundermier, A., n.d. ).