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A Thorne-Żytkow object (TZO or TŻO) is a theoretical star type consisting of a giant star with a neutron star as its core. One could result from a neutron star colliding with a red giant or supergiant; if the two come into contact, drag could eventually bring the neutron star to the center after a phase with the neutron star within the giant star's envelope, orbiting the giant star's core. Alternately, this could happen when a neutron star is swallowed during a binary companion's expansion into such a giant star. It is assumed such a TZO would be a phase, perhaps leading to a more conventional neutron star with an accretion disk. A number of candidates exist, among them the star HV 2112 identified as such in 2014.