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ORBONIX · DEEP SPACE

MAGNETARS

Neutron stars with some of the most powerful magnetic fields known in the Universe — capable of producing enormous bursts of high-energy radiation.
NEUTRON STAR · EXTREME MAGNETIC FIELD · HIGH-ENERGY RADIATION
~10–15 KM
TYPICAL RADIUS
~1–2 M☉
TYPICAL MASS RANGE
10¹⁴–10¹⁵ G
EXTREME SURFACE MAGNETIC FIELD
X-RAY / γ-RAY
HIGH-ENERGY EMISSION

WHAT IS A MAGNETAR?

A magnetar is a type of neutron star with an extraordinarily powerful magnetic field. Like other neutron stars, magnetars are the compact remnants of massive stars that have undergone catastrophic gravitational collapse. What makes magnetars unusual is the extreme strength of their magnetic fields, which can reach around a trillion times the strength of Earth's magnetic field or more.

HOW DOES A MAGNETAR FORM?

A massive star can end its life in a supernova. When its core collapses, enormous amounts of matter are compressed into an object only a few tens of kilometers across. If the resulting neutron star retains an extremely strong magnetic field, it can become a magnetar. The conservation of magnetic flux during collapse can amplify the field enormously.

THE STRONGEST MAGNETIC FIELDS

Magnetars possess the strongest persistent magnetic fields known for astrophysical objects. Their fields can be billions to trillions of times stronger than the magnetic field of Earth. The field is so powerful that it can strongly influence the neutron star's crust, atmosphere and surrounding space.

GIANT FLARES

Magnetars can suddenly release enormous amounts of energy in events called giant flares. These eruptions can produce intense bursts of X-rays and gamma rays. In some cases, a giant flare can release more energy in a fraction of a second than the Sun emits over thousands of years.

KEY IDEAS

NEUTRON STAR
A magnetar is an ultra-dense neutron star left behind after the collapse of a massive stellar core.
EXTREME MAGNETISM
Its magnetic field can reach around 10¹⁴–10¹⁵ gauss at the surface.
GIANT FLARES
Sudden magnetic rearrangements can trigger enormous bursts of X-rays and gamma rays.
STARQUAKES
Stress in the rigid neutron-star crust may produce powerful seismic events.
RAPID ROTATION
Young magnetars can rotate rapidly, although their rotation slows as they lose energy.
RARE OBJECTS
Only a relatively small number of magnetars have been identified compared with ordinary stars.
DID YOU KNOW?
A magnetar's magnetic field can be so powerful that, from a sufficiently close distance, it would dramatically affect matter and radiation — making magnetars some of the most extreme objects in the known Universe.
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ORBONIX · DEEP SPACE · MAGNETARS

WHAT MAKES MAGNETARS EXTREME

Magnetars are neutron stars whose observed activity is associated with exceptionally strong magnetic fields. Magnetic stresses can affect the crust and magnetosphere, producing bursts of high-energy radiation and, in rare cases, enormous giant flares.

They provide natural laboratories for studying matter, radiation and magnetic fields in regimes far beyond ordinary terrestrial conditions. Magnetars are related to the broader neutron-star population, but their magnetic activity makes them observationally distinctive.

Pulsars · Supernovae