The hibernating stellar magnet (artist's impression)

Astronomers have discovered a possible magnetar that emitted 40 visible-light flashes before disappearing again. Magnetars are young neutron stars with an ultra-strong magnetic field a billion times stronger than that of the Earth. The twisting of magnetic field lines in magnetars give rise to ''starquakes'', which will eventually lead to an intense soft gamma-ray burst. In the case of the SWIFT source, the optical flares that reached the Earth were probably due to ions ripped out from the surface of the magnetar and gyrating around the field lines.

Bildnachweis:

Credit: ESO/L.Calçada.

Über das Bild

ID:eso0831a
Typ:Illustration
Veröffentlichungsdatum:23. September 2008
Dazugehörige Veröffentlichungen:eso0831
Größe:3000 x 2000 px

Über das Objekt

Name:Stars
Typ:Milky Way : Star : Evolutionary Stage : Neutron Star : Magnetar
Entfernung:15000 Lichtjahre
Kategorie:Illustrations
Stars

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