The world of neutron stars

artiteacher Atoms stretched like needles

artiteacher Magnetars and magnetic monsters

Billion tons, billion tons / A tiny spoonful is a mountain high!

artiteacher Violent starquakes and cosmic flares

artiteacher The extreme magnetic forces of a magnetar distort the spherical shape of atoms into ultra-thin cylinders.

artiteacher Fractures in a magnetar's crust trigger massive starquakes, releasing blinding bursts of gamma rays across the galaxy.

BETA

artiteacher Dodge giant magnetic flares to discover how these cosmic monsters warp space.

Fun Fact

Magnetar strength: A magnetar passing within 100,000 miles of Earth would instantly wipe clean every credit card on our planet.

Glossary

magnetar (noun)
A type of neutron star characterized by an extremely powerful magnetic field. Astronomers Robert Duncan and Christopher Thompson first theorized the existence of these dense magnetic remnants in 1992.

Gossip

Which cosmic hazard sounds the most terrifying to you?

Quiz

What would happen to your credit cards if a magnetar got halfway to the Moon?

artiteacher The mystery of soft gamma repeaters

Quiz

How much stronger is a magnetar's magnetic field compared to Earth's?

artiteacher Magnetic fields beyond belief

Quiz

What percentage of neutron stars are estimated to become magnetars?

Quiz

What are the repeating sources of gamma rays from magnetars called?

Quiz

Which magnetar released a historic flare in 2004 that saturated Earth's satellite sensors?

Quiz

What military satellites accidentally helped discover magnetars in the 1970s?

Quiz

How does a magnetar's extreme magnetic field affect the shape of atoms?

Quiz

What event on a magnetar causes a massive release of gamma rays?