In its dying phase, when a star with a core containing mainly iron exhausts all its fuel, it collapses under gravity and explodes as a supernova. The extreme high pressure causes protons and electrons to combine into neutrons forming a neutron star. The energy released in the process blows away the outer layers of the star.

What happens next depends on the mass of the neutron star’s core. If it is less than three solar masses it remains as a neutron star but if the star’s weight is more than about three solar masses, then it collapses further to form a black hole.

The highest possible mass of a neutron star is not fully known, but it can’t be theoretically more than around 3 solar masses (beyond which, it should be a black hole). The maximum mass for a neutron star, which has been precisely measured so far, is around 2.1 solar mass.
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