A Type II supernova explosion is produced by the collapse and explosion of a supergiant star. They occur when the core
a supergiant star collapses due to gravity. As this happens the outer layers fall inward, bounce off the core, and explode outward forming
the supernova. As the star collapses inward, magnetic fields focus some of the material
into jets of plasma helping to blow the star apart.
The collapsed core of the star forms an object known as a neutron star. Neutron stars, also called pulsars, are compact objects the size
of a small city that weigh more than our Sun. They are rapidly rotating. The pulsar at the center of the Crab Nebula spins
30 times a second. Some pulsars spin more than 1,000 times a second.
