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A neutron star is a variant of a neutron star. Image: NOIRLab
Scientists have identified the most magnetic star in the universe named HD 45166. It exhibits a unique spectrum rich in helium, revealing an unusual origin. Aside from its magnetic record, HD 45166 might represent an early stage in the lifecycle of a neutron star, a peculiar type of star, as reported by Live Science on August 22nd.
Neutron stars are some of the most exotic celestial objects in the universe, with a mass equivalent to that of the Sun compressed into a sphere no larger than a city. Their highly magnetic counterparts are called magnetars and are among the strongest magnetic stars in the universe. Neutron stars and magnetars form in supernova explosions, where the remaining material from a dead star condenses into incredibly dense and hot objects. However, astronomers are still striving to understand the conditions that lead to the creation of magnetars as opposed to ordinary neutron stars. The research published in the Science journal 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 similarly to an extremely bright type of object called a Wolf-Rayet star, except it is smaller, dimmer, and exhibits an unusually high helium density. However, no one could provide a plausible explanation for its peculiar spectral features until now, according to Tomer Shenar, an astronomer at the University of Amsterdam and one of the co-authors of the new study.
Using data from several ground-based observatories, Shenar and colleagues discovered that HD 45166 boasts a magnetic field 43,000 times stronger than the Sun’s. Unlike most helium stars that evolve from red giant stars, the research team suspects that HD 45166 may have formed from the merger of two smaller stars. They also suggest that in a few million years, it will explode in a supernova event and regenerate as a magnetar.