Researchers have identified a type of star previously unknown to science that may explain the origins of the strongest magnets in the universe.
Magnetars are ultra-dense, city-sized “dead” stars that have the strongest magnetic fields in the known cosmos – a billion times more powerful than the strongest magnets made by humans. Their existence was first proposed in 1992 and about 30 have been identified, but how they form has been a mystery.
An international team of researchers have now identified a new type of living star – a massive magnetic helium star – that is extremely magnetic, making it an excellent candidate to become a magnetar.
The star in question, known as HD 45166, lies about 3,000 light years from the Earth in
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