Astronomers have discovered traces of magnetar flares in neighboring galaxies

Besides black holes, magnetars may be the most powerful celestial bodies in the Universe. They have a diameter

less than the length of Manhattan, but have more mass than the Sun, and they also have the largest magnetic field of any previously studied object. 

Magnetars are so highly magnetized that evensmall disturbances in the magnetic field can produce bursts of X-rays that last sporadically for weeks or months. These unusual stars are also thought to be the source of some types of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs): bright flashes of high-energy radiation. 

Short gamma-ray burst detected on April 152020 in a galaxy 11.4 million light-years away could help astronomers find magnetic bursts more easily. This is necessary to explain the nature of magnetars and the features of their rays. 

A giant flash, recorded as GRB 200415A, was detected by NASA detectors. They determined its possible location: all guesses intersected on the spiral galaxy NGC 253.

GRB beams are the most powerful in space and can bedetectable from a billion light years away. Most of them last less than two seconds, this is called a gamma-ray burst. It occurs when a pair of spinning neutron stars merge with each other. 

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