Magnetars are some of the universe’s most powerful magnets.
These super-tight, dead stars have extremely strong magnetic fields and can be found throughout our galaxy.
Yet, scientists have been unsure about how they come into being.
Now, thanks to several telescopes worldwide, including some from the European Southern Observatory (ESO), scientists have identified a unique star that they believe will turn into a magnetar.
This discovery introduces a brand-new kind of star to us: the “massive magnetic helium star.” This discovery also gives us some clues about where magnetars come from.
HD 45166, the star in question, has puzzled astronomers for over 100 years. We knew it was part of a twin-star system and had a lot of helium. We also knew it was larger than our sun. But scientists couldn’t figure it out using usual explanations.
Tomer Shenar, a researcher from the University of Amsterdam, became very interested in this star. Julia Bodensteiner, a fellow scientist and co-author, says she and Shenar jokingly called HD 45166 the “zombie star.”
They say it’s because the star is one-of-a-kind, and because studying it seemed to turn Shenar into a “zombie” due to his intense focus on it.
Shenar thought magnetic fields might be the key. Magnetic fields can change how stars act. Maybe that’s why regular explanations didn’t work for HD 45166, which is 3,000 light-years away in a constellation called Monoceros. Shenar had a sudden realization and wondered, “Could this star have a magnetic field?”
To find out, Shenar and his team used various telescopes around the world. They made crucial observations in February 2022 with a telescope tool that can sense and measure magnetic fields. They also looked at older data from another telescope in Chile.
When they got their results, Shenar reached out to Gregg Wade, a specialist in star magnetic fields, to check out the data. Wade was convinced, saying, “Whatever this star is, it definitely has a magnetic field.”
What they discovered was surprising: HD 45166 has a super-strong magnetic field. In fact, it’s the strongest field we’ve ever found in a massive star. Pablo Marchant, another researcher, explained that the entire surface of HD 45166 is as magnetic as the most potent magnets we can make here on Earth.
This discovery is important because it’s the first time we’ve identified a massive magnetic helium star. Shenar said it’s thrilling to discover a new kind of star, especially when it’s been right in front of us all along.
The best part? This star might help us understand magnetars. Even though the magnetic field of HD 45166 is strong, magnetars have fields that are much, much stronger. Shenar’s team believes that when HD 45166 ends its life, it will become a magnetar. As it shrinks, its magnetic field will get even stronger, making it the universe’s most powerful magnet.
The team also learned some other cool facts. HD 45166 isn’t as massive as we thought, being about double the size of our sun. Also, it probably came to be when two smaller helium-rich stars combined.
Julia Bodensteiner summarized their findings, saying they’ve entirely changed what we thought we knew about HD 45166.
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Source: ESO.
