A neutron star is a variant of a neutron star. Image: NOIRLab
Scientists have identified the star with the strongest magnetic field in the universe, known as HD 45166. It exhibits a unique spectrum rich in helium, revealing an unusual origin. In addition to setting a magnetic field record, HD 45166 might represent the early stages of a star’s life cycle, a type of bizarre neutron star, as reported by Live Science on August 22.
Neutron stars are some of the most exotic objects in the universe, with a mass equivalent to that of the Sun compressed into a sphere the size of a city. Their high magnetic field counterparts are called magnetars, the most magnetic stars in the universe. Neutron stars and magnetars form from the remnants of supernova explosions, where the remaining material from a dead star condenses into extremely dense and hot objects. However, astronomers are still working to understand the conditions that differentiate star formation into magnetars versus typical neutron stars. The research published in the journal Science may shed light on this process.
Located 3,000 light-years away in the Monoceros constellation (Unicorn), HD 45166 has puzzled scientists for over a decade. The star behaves somewhat like a very bright type of celestial object called a Wolf-Rayet star, except it is smaller, fainter, and exhibits an unusually high helium density. However, no reasonable hypothesis had been put forth regarding its peculiar spectral characteristics, according to Tomer Shenar, an astronomer at the University of Amsterdam and co-author of the new study.
Using data from several ground-based observatories, Shenar and his team discovered that HD 45166 possesses a magnetic field 43,000 times stronger than that of the Sun. Unlike most helium stars that evolve from massive red giants, the research team suspects that HD 45166 formed from the merger of two smaller stars. They also suggest that, in a few million years, it will undergo a supernova explosion and be reborn as a magnetar.