Scientists have now detected the most distant-known instance of one of these eruptions, called a giant flare, from a magnetar residing in a galaxy called Messier 82, or M82

About Magnetars:

1. Magnetars are a rare type of neutron star characterized by ultra-powerful magnetic fields.
2. Their magnetic fields are about 1,000 times stronger than a normal neutron star and a trillion times stronger than Earth.
3. Magnetars release vast amounts of energy in the form of flares, X-rays, and gamma-ray bursts.
4. They have been associated with extreme events in the universe, making them one of the strangest objects in the universe after black holes.
5. The magnetar's magnetic field may be caused by the interior of the neutron star, which is thought to contain neutrons, quarks and exotic states of matter, becoming a superconducting fluid.
6. As the star rotates, it behaves like a giant dynamo, generating an immense magnetic field.

Messier 82:

1. M82, nicknamed the "Cigar Galaxy" because of its elongated, cigar-like shape when viewed from the edge, is in the constellation Ursa Major, 12 million light-years away from Earth.

1. A light year is the distance that light travels in one year, 5.9 trillion miles (9.5 trillion km).

2.  The M82 giant flare was the most distant known but not the most energetic.

FAQs:

Q: What are Neutron Stars?

1. Neutron stars are formed when a massive star runs out of fuel and its core collapses, crushing protons and electrons into neutrons.

The extreme pressure causes the electrons and protons to combine, producing neutrons. This process is known as neutron degeneracy pressure.

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