Gamma-ray flares from SGR J1550-5418 may have arisen when the magnetar's surface suddenly cracked, releasing energy stored within its powerful magnetic field. A magnetar is a neutron star with a super-strong magnetic field. Gamma-rays – the universe's most luminous explosions – create bright afterglows.
Gamma-ray flares from SGR J1550-5418 may have arisen when the magnetar’s surface suddenly cracked, releasing energy stored within its powerful magnetic field. A magnetar is a neutron star with a super-strong magnetic field.
Gamma-rays – the universe’s most luminous explosions – create bright afterglows. Their light encodes information about the gas and dust it encounters on its way to Earth.Image Credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab