The discovery of a new helium star explains the mysterious formation of magnetars | Sciences
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The helium star turns into a very strong magnetar
The detected helium stars are living stars that are likely to later become magnetars. These extinct stars are the strongest magnets in the universe. It is a billion times stronger than the magnetic field of HD 45166.
Magnetars can be found throughout our galaxy, but until now it’s not clear exactly how they form. Helium stars eventually collapse under their own gravity, causing them to implode.
Some of the material the star is made of is ejected. A smaller core remains in which the particles are packed much more tightly than they were before the implosion.
The star’s magnetic field remains largely the same, but now it has to be spread out over a smaller volume. This makes the force many times stronger, up to 10 billion tesla.
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