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Magnetar

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Astronomers catch a magnetar being born inside a supernova via a rapid brightness chirp
science17 hours ago

Astronomers catch a magnetar being born inside a supernova via a rapid brightness chirp

Astronomers observed a distinctive four-peaked, accelerating ‘chirp’ in the light from supernova SN 2024afav, interpreted as the birth of a magnetar—an ultra-mense, highly magnetized neutron star—hidden in the exploding star. The signal fits a model where material falling back formed a tilted accretion disk around the magnetar, whose frame-dragging (Lense–Thirring precession) causes the disk to wobble and periodically modulate the supernova’s brightness. From this, the magnetar is inferred to rotate about 4.2 milliseconds and possess a magnetic field about 300 trillion times stronger than Earth's. While this provides strong evidence for magnetars powering some superluminous supernovae, it may not apply to all such events, and future surveys like the Rubin Observatory will seek more examples to map how often magnetars form in stellar explosions.

via Space Daily|
#chirp#lense-thirring-precession#magnetar
First Magnetar Birth Seen in Chirping Supernova
science4 days ago

First Magnetar Birth Seen in Chirping Supernova

Astronomers monitored SN 2024afav for about 200 days and observed four distinct brightness bumps—the object's light curve chirp—best explained by a newborn magnetar with a tilted accretion disk that undergoes Lense-Thirring precession, a relativistic effect that modulates emitted light. This provides the first direct evidence that magnetars power some superluminous supernovae, supporting Dan Kasen's 2010 theory; the magnetar spins ~4.2 milliseconds with a magnetic field around 3×10^14 gauss. The discovery, published in Nature, confirms GR's role in a stellar explosion and suggests future surveys (e.g., Rubin Observatory) will uncover many more chirping events.

via ScienceDaily|
#general-relativity#lense-thirring#magnetar
2004 magnetar flare delivered Sun-scale energy to Earth in 0.2 seconds
science-space18 days ago

2004 magnetar flare delivered Sun-scale energy to Earth in 0.2 seconds

A December 27, 2004 giant flare from magnetar SGR 1806-20, though tens of thousands of light-years away, saturated satellites and briefly disturbed Earth’s ionosphere. In the first 0.2 seconds the flare released energy comparable to the Sun’s output over about 250,000 years. Follow-up observations showed a pulsating tail tied to the magnetar’s rotation, with distance estimates later revised, complicating exact energy figures. The event also illustrated how a Galactic magnetar flare can resemble a short gamma-ray burst if viewed from afar, but it posed no danger to Earth and remains a key, well-documented case for magnetar physics and energy release mechanisms.

via Space Daily|
#energy#gamma-ray-burst#ionosphere
Magnetar-powered gamma glow lights up a distant supernova
space1 month ago

Magnetar-powered gamma glow lights up a distant supernova

NASA’s Fermi detected gamma rays from the luminous core-collapse supernova SN 2017egm (NGC 3191, about 440 million light-years away), supporting the idea that a newborn magnetar—an ultra‑magnetized neutron star—powers the explosion. A magnetar wind nebula and related particle interactions could boost gamma-ray production and reprocess energy into visible light, explaining the unusually bright display; gamma rays begin to leak out as debris expands, with the early light curve matching models though late-time fading remains puzzling. The study also notes the upcoming Cherenkov Telescope Array could detect similar events up to ~500 million light-years, advancing understanding of magnetar engines. The work appeared in Astronomy & Astrophysics on May 20, 2026.

via Space|
#gamma-rays#magnetar#neutron-star
Birth of a Magnetar Captured Inside a Brilliant Supernova
space3 months ago

Birth of a Magnetar Captured Inside a Brilliant Supernova

Astronomers have for the first time witnessed the birth of a magnetar—an ultra-strongly magnetized neutron star—at the heart of a rare, superluminous supernova (SN 2024afav). The event’s peculiar light curve, including four diminishing “chirps” caused by a Lense–Thirring precession of a disk around the newborn magnetar, provides the first observational link between such births and magnetar-powered superluminous explosions, with the object estimated to spin ~4.2 milliseconds and harbor a magnetic field about 300 trillion times Earth's.

via Live Science|
#general-relativity#lense-thirring#magnetar
Magnetar birth confirmed inside colossal supernova
astronomy4 months ago

Magnetar birth confirmed inside colossal supernova

Astronomers have confirmed the births of a magnetar—a highly magnetized, rapidly spinning neutron star—within a rapidly bright supernova, SN 2024afav. Analysis of the 200‑day light curve revealed four chirps caused by a wobbling accretion disk around the newborn magnetar, with general relativity’s frame‑dragging explaining the timing. The magnetar spins about 238 times per second and possesses a magnetic field hundreds of trillions of times stronger than Earth's, providing definitive evidence for the magnetar–superluminous supernova connection.

via Space|
#astronomy#general-relativity#magnetar
Frame-dragging magnetar powers a superluminous supernova
science4 months ago

Frame-dragging magnetar powers a superluminous supernova

High-cadence observations of the SLSN-I SN 2024afav reveal chirped light-curve bumps linked to a magnetar central engine with an infalling disk undergoing Lense–Thirring precession. Modeling constrains the magnetar’s spin to about 4.2 ms and its magnetic field to ~1.6×10^14 G, providing the first observational evidence of LT frame-dragging in a magnetar’s environment and supporting magnetar spin-down as the source of extreme luminosity in SLSNe-I.

via Nature|
#accretion-disk#lense-thirring#magnetar
X-Ray Emission Linked to Milky Way's Rare 44-Minute Transient
astronomy5 months ago

X-Ray Emission Linked to Milky Way's Rare 44-Minute Transient

Astronomers at ICRAR and partners have identified ASKAP J1832-0911 as a rare long-period transient that emits radio bursts every 44 minutes and, for the first time, X-rays observed by Chandra. This cross-wavelength detection from a source about 15,000 light-years away in the Milky Way provides crucial clues to the origin of LPTs and could point to new physics or revised stellar evolution models, with possible explanations including a magnetar or a magnetized white-dwarf binary. The discovery underscores the value of simultaneous radio and X-ray observations to find more such objects.

via SciTechDaily|
#askap-j1832-0911#astronomy#long-period-transient
Brightest Fast Radio Burst May Unlock Cosmic Secrets
science10 months ago

Brightest Fast Radio Burst May Unlock Cosmic Secrets

Astronomers detected the brightest fast radio burst (FRB) ever, named RBFLOAT, from a galaxy 130 million light-years away, using advanced telescopes including CHIME and the James Webb Space Telescope. The observations suggest magnetars as a potential source and provide precise localization, helping to unravel the mystery of FRBs' origins and whether they repeat or vary in nature.

via KSL.com|
#fast-radio-burst#frb#magnetar
Scientists Detect Brightest Fast Radio Burst Ever from Nearby Galaxy
science10 months ago

Scientists Detect Brightest Fast Radio Burst Ever from Nearby Galaxy

Scientists have detected the brightest fast radio burst ever, named RBFLOAT, originating from a galaxy 130 million light-years away, and pinpointed its exact location, providing new insights into their origins, possibly linked to magnetars. The discovery was made using the CHIME telescope and its outriggers across North America, marking a significant advancement in understanding these mysterious cosmic phenomena.

via Gizmodo|
#cosmic-mystery#fast-radio-bursts#frb-20250316a