Astronomers spotted colliding neutron stars that may have formed a magnetar

A recent stellar flash may have signaled the birth of a highly magnetic, spinning stellar corpse

Magnetar illustration

A burst of gamma-ray light in another galaxy (shown in an artist’s illustration) hints that colliding neutron stars produced a magnetar.

 

NASA, ESA, D. Player/STScI

A surprisingly bright cosmic blast might have marked the birth of a magnetar.