Magnetars are among the most extreme objects in the universe. They are a rare type of neutron star with magnetic fields up to a thousand times stronger than those of ordinary neutron stars and trillions of times stronger than Earth’s. Although astronomers have studied magnetars for decades, they had never directly observed one forming. That changed when an international team of researchers detected an unusual radio signal from a distant supernova.
The discovery was made while studying supernova SN 2024jlf, located about 300 million light-years from Earth. Using the National Radio Astronomy Observatory’s Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) and other radio telescopes, astronomers observed a rapidly changing radio signal, or “chirp,” produced shortly after the massive star exploded. The signal revealed the birth of a rapidly spinning magnetar interacting with the expanding cloud of debris from the supernova. This marks the first direct evidence of a magnetar forming immediately after a stellar explosion.
The observation helps scientists better understand how the most magnetic objects in the universe are created. It may also provide clues to the origin of mysterious fast radio bursts (FRBs)—brief but extremely powerful flashes of radio waves detected from distant galaxies. By capturing a magnetar at birth, astronomers have gained valuable insight into the final moments of massive stars and the extreme physics that governs the universe.
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