Renowned astronomers have confirmed a groundbreaking discovery: a new magnetar located 21,000 light-years from Earth. Chandra X-ray Observatory data reveals it pulses like a pulsar. Findings are detailed in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
Neutron stars emerge from the gravitational collapse of a massive star's core during a supernova explosion. These remnants span just a few kilometers across yet pack densities around a billion tons per cubic centimeter, made almost entirely of tightly packed neutrons.
Many neutron stars rotate rapidly, beaming intense radiation into space. When Earth lies in the beam's path, they appear to "pulse," earning the name pulsars—cosmic lighthouses visible across the galaxy.
A subset boasts the universe's strongest magnetic fields: magnetars, with intensities up to a million billion Gauss—trillions of times more powerful than a fridge magnet's 100 Gauss.
Detected on March 12, 2020, near the Milky Way's plane via NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Telescope, this magnetar—named J1818.0-1607—lies 21,000 light-years distant. It's merely the 31st confirmed magnetar among roughly 3,000 known neutron stars, but stands out remarkably.
Estimated at just 500 years old, it may be the youngest magnetar identified. It also spins the fastest of its kind, completing a rotation every 1.4 seconds.
Chandra observations confirm J1818.0-1607 emits regular radio pulses, marking it as a pulsar. Only five such radio-pulsing magnetars exist, representing less than 0.2% of known neutron stars.
