Compact objects (Astronomy)

found: Mitton, J. Cambridge dict. of astronomy, 1991(compact object: any astronomical object that is substantially denser or more compact (typically by a factor of a hundred) than most objects in its class. There is no precise definition of this rather general term. White dwarf stars, for example, are compact relative to most stars because they are a million times denser than main-sequence stars. An unusually bright galactic nucleus might also be referred to as a compact object if its light comes from a much smaller volume than is generally the case for the observed luminosity.)

found: Encyc. of phys. sci. & tech., 2002:v. 17, p. 913 (compact objects generally represent the remains of the stellar core after the rest of the star's atmosphere has been ejected in either a supernova explosion or by the formation of a planetary nebula. There are three classes of compact objects, representing increasingly higher maximum densities and gravitational fields: 1) white dwarfs, 2) neutron stars, and 3) black holes)

found: Oxford dict. of astronomy, 2003(compact object: the small and dense end-product of stellar evolution -- a white star, neutron star, or black hole)

found: MIT Astrophysics: Compact objects Web site, Dec. 31, 1007(MIT has long been a leader in the study of the densest objects in the universe: white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes, known collectively as compact objects.)

found: Wikipedia, Dec. 5, 2007(Compact star: In astronomy, the term compact star (sometimes compact object) is used to refer collectively to white dwarfs, neutron stars, other exotic dense stars, and black holes. These objects are all small for their mass.)