Neutron stars finally come of age

Abstract:  50 years after their discovery, neutron stars are poised to take center stage in this era of multi-messenger astrophysics. I will highlight advances in theory and mention some key observations that have provided fundamental new insights about neutron star properties and their central role in nuclear astrophysics. I will discuss how neutron stars, and extreme phenomena involving them, can serve as laboratories to study dense matter, neutrinos, axions and dark matter.