<p>I am wondering, what is the most massive object we know of that does not have a degenerate core, and what is the least massive object that <strong>does</strong> have a degenerate code? We know that Jupiter has a core that is obviously degenerate. A quick Google search shows that Saturn is indeed degenerate, and is on the low end of electron-degeneracy. Are there any lesser-mass degenerate objects there, and what is the approximate boundary for electron-degenerate and non-degenerate matter?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-20T19:01:08.917Z
Rob's answer here https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/questions/15043/why-is-the-core-of-a-gas-giant-supported-by-electron-degeneracy-pressure-instead may help.
James K
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2021-02-20T19:12:18.457Z
@JamesK Yes, it does, but just a little bit. I'll probably need more information than that though, perhaps a straightforward answer would do :)
WarpPrime
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2021-02-20T23:23:11.630Z
A piece of metal is electron-degenerate matter. It really isn't clear how you can define a lower limit.
ProfRob
<planet><jupiter><mass><saturn><degenerate-matter>
How big can an object get before its core becomes degenerate?
WarpPrime
# How big can an object get before its core becomes degenerate?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-02-20)

I am wondering, what is the most massive object we know of that does not have a degenerate core, and what is the least massive object that **does** have a degenerate code? We know that Jupiter has a core that is obviously degenerate. A quick Google search shows that Saturn is indeed degenerate, and is on the low end of electron-degeneracy. Are there any lesser-mass degenerate objects there, and what is the approximate boundary for electron-degenerate and non-degenerate matter?

**Tags:** planet, jupiter, mass, saturn, degenerate-matter

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Rob's answer here https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/questions/15043/why-is-the-core-of-a-gas-giant-supported-by-electron-degeneracy-pressure-instead may help.  
> **username_0**: @username_1 Yes, it does, but just a little bit. I'll probably need more information than that though, perhaps a straightforward answer would do :)  
> **username_2**: A piece of metal is electron-degenerate matter. It really isn't clear how you can define a lower limit.  

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