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NASA's IXPE Discovers Magnetar Unleashing Energy of 1,000 Suns

6/6/2025

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Summary

Story summary

NASA's IXPE mission has made a groundbreaking discovery by observing magnetar 1E 1841-045, which unleashed an energy burst equal to 1,000 Suns. This extraordinary event enabled scientists to measure X-ray polarization, shedding light on the magnetar's intense magnetic fields and high-energy emissions. These findings, detailed in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, deepen our understanding of the universe's most extreme phenomena.

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Story summary

NASA's IXPE mission has made a groundbreaking discovery by observing magnetar 1E 1841-045, which unleashed an energy burst equal to 1,000 Suns. This extraordinary event enabled scientists to measure X-ray polarization, shedding light on the magnetar's intense magnetic fields and high-energy emissions. These findings, detailed in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, deepen our understanding of the universe's most extreme phenomena.