Strange Mystery: Strange Stars

Volume 30 number 2 (2002)

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Aaron Price

AAVSO

Abstract

Imagine a class of star that is entirely made up of quarks, the most stable form of matter known. These "Strange Stars" would be very peculiar and could be the source behind soft gamma ray repeaters, pulsars, gamma-ray bursts, and may be confused with neutron stars and black holes. Intriguing as it may sound, empirical evidence for these stars is slim. The interesting characteristics of these theoretical stars is discussed along with pros and cons about their existence.