First Magnetic Star Outside Earth Discovered in Explosive Event – Scientists Find Ultramagnetic Body in Galaxy M82

An impressive explosion led astronomers to discover the first magnetic star outside of Earth. The Milky Way – and suggests that there may be many more nearby Universe.

This new magnetar, a remnant of a dead star, is endowed with an extremely powerful magnetic field. It resides in the galaxy Messier 82 (M82), also known as the “Cigar Galaxy”, located about 12 million light years from Earth. Terra.

The discovery of this ultramagnetic body occurred when it violently exploded, releasing intense energy that continued for a fraction of a second, as described in a new study published in the journal. Nature This Wednesday (24).

Magnetars: the most powerful magnets in the cosmos

Called by some the most powerful magnets in the cosmos, magnetars are highly magnetized, rotating variants of neutron stars – the remnants of supernovae – which shines thousands of times brighter than the sun.

However, its eruptions are so short and so unpredictable that they represent challenging targets for astronomers to study. Only three other magnetar explosions have been recorded in the past 50 years (all in the Milky Way), so scientists say this discovery opens up new perspectives in find these magnetic stars in other galaxies.

“The identification of a larger number of these celestial bodies could provide insight into the frequency of these explosions and the process of energy release from these stars,” said Ashley Chrimes, a researcher at the European Space Agency (ESA). not directly. involved in the study, in press release.

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A magnetic star has been discovered by the European space telescope

In mid-November 2023, the space telescope Doubtful ESA has detected a short and sudden burst of gamma rays towards the galaxy M82. This type of radiation is also generated when you create black holes, merging orbiting neutron stars, and other exotic phenomena that are not associated with magnetars.

“We knew immediately that this was an extraordinary event,” said Sandro Mereghetti, a researcher at Italy’s National Institute of Astrophysics and lead author of the new study. “Gamma ray bursts can occur from many sources in the Universe, but this one in particular comes from a bright nearby galaxy.”

Subsequent observations of the burst, made over a few hours by ground and space telescopes, were able to locate its origin within the “Cigar Galaxy”. Unlike the expected aftershocks and gravitational waves associated with a typical gamma-ray burst, astronomers identified only hot gas and stars, thus confirming that the emission came from a magnetar.

Called a “stellar earthquake”, the phenomenon occurs when a magnetar’s intense magnetic fields cause slight distortions in its rotation, disrupting its outer layers and releasing highly energetic gamma rays into the cosmos, astronomers explain.