On June 18, 2020 , Astronomers at the US (United Sates) based space agency NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) have discovered the youngest known magnetar (a type of neutron star) named “Swift J1818.0-1607” about 16,000 light years away from Earth.
Swift J1818.0-1607:
- It belongs to a special class of objects called “magnetars”.
- It is estimated to be about 240 years old, making it quite new and young by cosmic standards. It has a magnetic field up to 1,000 times stronger than a typical neutron star and about 100 million times stronger than the most powerful magnets made by humans.
- It was first discovered back on March 12 by NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory when when a large amount of X-rays were emitted by it. The European Space Agency’s XMM-Newton observatory and NASA’s NuSTAR telescope, then studied this magnetar and found that it was the youngest one.
- Over 3,000 known neutron stars are there & only 31 magnetars have been discovered.
What is a magnetar?
A magnetar is a type of neutron star (a smallest and most dense star) with an extremely powerful magnetic field. They are known as the most magnetic objects in the universe. They also release a vast amount of energy in the form of electromagnetic radiation.
i.The study has been published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters & led by Paolo Esposito with the School for Advanced Studies (IUSS) in Pavia, Italy.
About NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration):
Headquarters– Washington, D.C., United States
Administrator– Jim Bridenstine
