A Record-Breaking X-Ray Flash May Reveal the Birth of a Magnetar
The flash lasted nearly 10 minutes and showed no supernova, giving researchers strong evidence that two neutron stars collided and formed a magnetar.
- On July 4, 2025, astronomers using the SVOM, Insight-HXMT, and Einstein Probe satellites detected a record-setting X-ray flash, designated EP250704a/GRB 250704B, which glowed for nearly 10 minutes.
- Researchers believe this event reveals the birth of a magnetar, produced when two neutron stars collide. "However, if the remnant of the collision is a magnetar, it could keep bursting for longer," said Professor Eleonora Troja.
- Using the VLT's X-Shooter instrument, Niccol Passaleva and colleagues measured a redshift of 0.6610, confirming the light traveled over 6 billion years to reach Earth and predates our Solar System.
- A study published in Science Bulletin provides strong evidence for the merger, noting the absence of a supernova that would typically follow a massive star collapse rather than a neutron star collision.
- Passaleva concluded that finding more of these events could reveal how often neutron star mergers create magnetars, potentially allowing researchers to pair future X-ray flashes with corresponding bursts of gravitational waves.
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The rapidly fading X-ray phenomena observed in recent years may be partly explained by neutron star collisions.
The Independent
The Independent (US)Flashes are coming from somewhere in space – and scientists might have found where
‘When I saw the X-ray data from this new event, I realized something was up,’ says researcher
A record-breaking X-ray flash may reveal the birth of a magnetar
Astronomers have found strong evidence that some mysterious, minutes-long X-ray flashes are produced when two neutron stars collide and create a magnetar. One record-setting event glowed in X-rays for nearly 10 minutes, potentially opening a new way to find these extreme cosmic mergers.
A 10-Minute Cosmic Flash May Reveal Two Dead Stars Colliding
A mysterious flash from a distant galaxy may have revealed what happens when two dead stars collide. Astronomers say the event offers strong evidence that some unexplained X-ray flashes come from neutron star mergers, opening another way to find these powerful cosmic encounters. Neutron stars are the incredibly dense remains of massive stars. When two […]
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