News Astronomy What a blast! By Ron Cowen November 8, 2004 at 6:58 pm - More than 2 years ago Share this:Share Share via email (Opens in new window) Email Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X Click to print (Opens in new window) Print Take a dense, collapsed star, set a helium-rich star in orbit around it, and you’ve got the ingredients for a series of explosions, each lasting about 10 seconds and releasing as much energy as the sun does in an entire year. Such eruptions can happen several times a day on the surface of a neutron star—the superdense cinder left behind when a massive star jettisons its outer layers and collapses.