What is Neutron degeneracy pressure?

Neutron degeneracy pressure is like when really tiny balls crowd together so tightly they push back and stop from getting squished even more.

Imagine you're in a crowded elevator, everyone is packed close, but if the elevator starts moving faster and faster, people might get pushed together even more. Now imagine that instead of people, it’s super tiny neutrons, like the inside of an atom. When stars run out of fuel and collapse, these neutrons are squeezed together in a very tight space, like being stuck in a really small elevator.

Neutrons are like little balls that don’t want to be too close to each other. When they’re forced into a tiny area, they act like a group of kids who all want their own spot in the elevator. They push back with pressure, just like when you and your friends try to squeeze into a single seat on the bus, there’s a lot of pushing going on!

This pressure is what keeps some stars from collapsing completely, creating something called a neutron star, kind of like a super-dense ball made entirely of neutrons.