{"id":26083,"date":"2023-08-17T14:00:32","date_gmt":"2023-08-17T18:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=26083"},"modified":"2023-08-16T15:01:21","modified_gmt":"2023-08-16T19:01:21","slug":"eso-new-type-star-may-help-explain-magnetars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=26083","title":{"rendered":"ESO: New type star may help explain magnetars"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A new report from the European Southern Observatory (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eso.org\/public\/news\/eso2313\/?lang\">ESO<\/a>):<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eso.org\/public\/news\/eso2313\/?lang\"><strong>New type of star gives clues to mysterious origin of magnetars<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/W9CRZhN6Vxw?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"text_intro pr_first\">Magnetars are the strongest magnets in the Universe. These super-dense dead stars with ultra-strong magnetic fields can be found all over our galaxy but astronomers don\u2019t know exactly how they form. Now, using multiple telescopes around the world, including European Southern Observatory (ESO) facilities, researchers have uncovered a living star that is likely to become a magnetar. This finding marks the discovery of a new type of astronomical object \u2014 massive magnetic helium stars \u2014 and sheds light on the origin of magnetars.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Despite having been observed for over 100 years, the enigmatic nature of the star HD 45166 could not be easily explained by conventional models, and little was known about it beyond the fact that it is one of a pair of stars <a href=\"#1\">[1]<\/a>, is rich in helium and is a few times more massive than our Sun.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u201c<em>This star became a bit of an obsession of mine<\/em>,\u201d<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">says Tomer Shenar, the lead author of a study on this object published today in Science and an astronomer at the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u201c<em>Tomer and I refer to HD 45166 as the \u2018zombie star<\/em><strong>\u2019<\/strong>,\u201d<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">says co-author and ESO astronomer Julia Bodensteiner, based in Germany.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u201c<em>This is not only because this star is so unique, but also because I jokingly said that it turns Tomer into a zombie.<\/em>&#8220;<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Having studied similar helium-rich stars before, Shenar thought magnetic fields could crack the case. Indeed, magnetic fields are known to influence the behaviour of stars and could explain why traditional models failed to describe HD 45166, which is located about 3000 light-years away in the constellation Monoceros.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u201c<em>I remember having a Eureka moment while reading the literature: \u2018What if the star is magnetic?\u2019,<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">says Shenar, who is currently based at the Centre for Astrobiology in Madrid, Spain.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Shenar and his team set out to study the star using multiple facilities around the globe. The main observations were conducted in February 2022 using an instrument on the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope that can detect and measure magnetic fields. The team also relied on key archive data taken with the Fiber-fed Extended Range Optical Spectrograph (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eso.org\/public\/teles-instr\/lasilla\/mpg22\/feros\/\">FEROS<\/a>) at ESO\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/eso.org\/public\/teles-instr\/lasilla\/\">La Silla Observatory<\/a> in Chile.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Once the observations were in, Shenar asked co-author Gregg Wade, an expert on magnetic fields in stars at the Royal Military College of Canada, to examine the data. Wade\u2019s response confirmed Shenar\u2019s hunch:<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u201c<em>Well my friend, whatever this thing is \u2014 it is definitely magnetic.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Shenar&#8217;s team had found that the star has an incredibly strong magnetic field, of 43 000 <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Gauss_(unit)\">gauss<\/a>, making HD 45166 the most magnetic massive star found to date <a href=\"#2\">[2]<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u201c<em>The entire surface of the helium star is as magnetic as the <a href=\"https:\/\/spectrum.ieee.org\/a-beachhead-to-superstrong-magnetic-fields\">strongest human-made magnets<\/a>,<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">explains co-author Pablo Marchant, an astronomer at KU Leuven\u2019s Institute of Astronomy in Belgium.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">This observation marks the discovery of the very first massive magnetic helium star.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u201c<em>It is exciting to uncover a new type of astronomical object,<\/em>\u201d says Shenar, \u201d<em>especially when it\u2019s been hiding in plain sight all along.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Moreover, it provides clues to the origin of magnetars, compact dead stars laced with magnetic fields at least a billion times stronger than the one in HD 45166. The team\u2019s calculations suggest that this star will end its life as a magnetar. As it collapses under its own gravity, its magnetic field will strengthen, and the star will eventually become a very compact core with a magnetic field of around 100 trillion gauss <a href=\"#3\">[3]<\/a> \u2014 the most powerful type of magnet in the Universe.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Shenar and his team also found that HD 45166 has a mass smaller than previously reported, around twice the mass of the Sun, and that its stellar pair orbits at a far larger distance than believed before. Furthermore, their research indicates that HD 45166 formed through the merger of two smaller helium-rich stars.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">\u201c<em>Our findings completely reshape our understanding of HD 45166<\/em>,\u201d<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">concludes Bodensteiner.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Notes<\/strong><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><a class=\"anchor\" name=\"1\"><\/a>[1] While HD 45166 is a binary system, in this text HD 45166 refers to the helium-rich star, not to both stars.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><a class=\"anchor\" name=\"2\"><\/a>[2] The magnetic field of 43 000 gauss is the strongest magnetic field ever detected in a star that exceeds the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Chandrasekhar_limit\">Chandrasekhar mass limit<\/a>, which is the critical limit above which stars may collapse into neutron stars (magnetars are a type of neutron star).<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><a class=\"anchor\" name=\"3\"><\/a>[3] In this text, a billion refers to one followed by nine zeros and a trillion refers to one followed by 12 zeros.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>===<\/em><strong><em> Amazon Ads <\/em><\/strong><em>===<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3Ihq7zn\">Celestron &#8211; NexStar 130SLT Computerized Telescope &#8211;<br \/>\nCompact and Portable &#8211;<br \/>\nNewtonian Reflector Optical Design &#8211;<br \/>\nSkyAlign Technology &#8211;<br \/>\nComputerized Hand Control &#8211;<br \/>\n130mm Aperture<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe style=\"width: 120px; height: 240px;\" src=\"\/\/ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;OneJS=1&amp;Operation=GetAdHtml&amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;source=ss&amp;ref=as_ss_li_til&amp;ad_type=product_link&amp;tracking_id=hobbyspace&amp;language=en_US&amp;marketplace=amazon&amp;region=US&amp;placement=B0007UQNNQ&amp;asins=B0007UQNNQ&amp;linkId=075d3255a406b73a3bba790b9e5a30e4&amp;show_border=true&amp;link_opens_in_new_window=true\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" sandbox=\"allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>===<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/1588346919\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=1588346919&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=hobbyspace&amp;linkId=f03c3ed8ae786328107b054c7548be90\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Envisioning Exoplanets:<br \/>\n<em>Searching for Life in the Galaxy<\/em><\/a><\/strong><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;\" src=\"\/\/ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/ir?t=hobbyspace&amp;l=am2&amp;o=1&amp;a=1588346919\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe style=\"width: 120px; height: 240px;\" src=\"\/\/ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;OneJS=1&amp;Operation=GetAdHtml&amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;source=ac&amp;ref=tf_til&amp;ad_type=product_link&amp;tracking_id=hobbyspace&amp;marketplace=amazon&amp;region=US&amp;placement=1588346919&amp;asins=1588346919&amp;linkId=4d8b47019f5b3324ce507a9ee3116e32&amp;show_border=true&amp;link_opens_in_new_window=true&amp;price_color=333333&amp;title_color=0066c0&amp;bg_color=ffffff\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><span style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A new report from the European Southern Observatory (ESO): New type of star gives clues to mysterious origin of magnetars Magnetars are the strongest magnets in the Universe. These super-dense dead stars with ultra-strong magnetic fields can be found all over our galaxy but astronomers don\u2019t know exactly how they form. Now, using multiple telescopes &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=26083\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">ESO: New type star may help explain magnetars<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[12,22,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26083","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-astronomy","category-education","category-space-science"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p34aWK-6MH","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":10914,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=10914","url_meta":{"origin":26083,"position":0},"title":"ESO: Huge gamma-ray bursts linked to super magnetized neutron stars","author":"TopSpacer","date":"July 8, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"A new report from\u00a0ESO\u00a0(European Southern Observatory): Biggest Explosions in the Universe Powered by Strongest Magnets Some long-duration gamma-ray bursts are driven by magnetars Observations from ESO\u2019s La Silla and Paranal Observatories in Chile have for the first time demonstrated a link between a very long-lasting burst of gamma rays and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Astronomy&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Astronomy","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=12"},"img":{"alt_text":"This artist\u2019s impression shows a supernova and associated gamma-ray burst driven by a rapidly spinning neutron star with a very strong magnetic field \u2014 an exotic object known as a magnetar. Observations from ESO\u2019s La Silla and Paranal Observatories in Chile have for the first time demonstrated a link between a very long-lasting burst of gamma rays and an unusually bright supernova explosion. The results show that the supernova following the burst GRB 111209A was not driven by radioactive decay, as expected, but was instead powered by the decaying super-strong magnetic fields around a magnetar.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/eso1527a1-1024x1024.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":21935,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=21935","url_meta":{"origin":26083,"position":1},"title":"ESO: Small hot stars display giant magnetic spots and super-flares","author":"TopSpacer","date":"June 1, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"The latest report from ESO (European Southern Observatory): Hot stars are plagued by giant magnetic spots, ESO data shows Astronomers using European Southern Observatory (ESO) telescopes have discovered giant spots on the surface of extremely hot stars hidden in stellar clusters. Not only are these stars plagued by magnetic spots,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Astronomy&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Astronomy","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=12"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/eso2009a1-500x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":26693,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=26693","url_meta":{"origin":26083,"position":2},"title":"ESO: Merger of 2 stars creates a magnetic star and a nebula","author":"TopSpacer","date":"April 11, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"The latest report from the European Southern Observatory (ESO): Beautiful nebula, violent history: clash of stars solves stellar mystery When astronomers looked at a stellar pair at the heart of a stunning cloud of gas and dust, they were in for a surprise. Star pairs are typically very similar, like\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Astronomy&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Astronomy","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=12"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/eso2407a-409x500.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":26516,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=26516","url_meta":{"origin":26083,"position":3},"title":"ESO: Cannibal star with a metal scar","author":"TopSpacer","date":"February 26, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"A new report from the European Southern Observatory (ESO): Metal scar found on cannibal star When a star like our Sun reaches the end of its life, it can ingest the surrounding planets and asteroids that were born with it. Now, using the European Southern Observatory\u2019s Very Large Telescope (ESO\u2019s\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Astronomy&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Astronomy","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=12"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/eso2403a-500x344.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":12177,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=12177","url_meta":{"origin":26083,"position":4},"title":"ESO: A nebula glows with the reflected light of a new star","author":"TopSpacer","date":"February 10, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"The latest public report from the\u00a0ESO\u00a0(European Southern Observatory) : A Star\u2019s Moment in the Spotlight A newly formed star lights up the surrounding cosmic clouds in this new image from ESO\u2019s La Silla Observatory in Chile. Dust particles in the vast clouds that surround the star HD 97300 diffuse its\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Astronomy&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Astronomy","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=12"},"img":{"alt_text":"A newly formed star lights up the surrounding cosmic clouds in this image from ESO\u2019s La Silla Observatory in Chile. Dust particles in the vast clouds that surround the star HD 97300 diffuse its light, like a car headlight in enveloping fog, and create the reflection nebula IC 2631. Although HD 97300 is in the spotlight for now, the very dust that makes it so hard to miss heralds the birth of additional, potentially scene-stealing, future stars.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/eso1605a1-1024x946.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":12276,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=12276","url_meta":{"origin":26083,"position":5},"title":"ESO: &#8220;The Realm of Buried Giants&#8221; &#8211; crimson nebula lit by rare, massive stars","author":"TopSpacer","date":"March 2, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Here is a new report from the\u00a0European Southern Observatory (ESO): The Realm of Buried Giants In this huge new image clouds of crimson gas are illuminated by rare, massive stars that have only recently ignited and are still buried deep in thick dust clouds. These scorching-hot, very young stars are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Astronomy&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Astronomy","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=12"},"img":{"alt_text":"In this huge image of part of the southern constellation of Norma (The Carpenter\u2019s Square) wisps of crimson gas are illuminated by rare, massive stars that have only recently ignited and are still buried deep in thick dust clouds. These scorching-hot, very young stars are only fleeting characters on the cosmic stage and their origins remain mysterious. The vast nebula where these giants were born, known as RCW 106, is captured here in fine detail by ESO\u2019s VLT Survey Telescope (VST), at the Paranal Observatory in Chile. The brightest part appears just above the centre of the image. Many other interesting objects are also captured in this wide-field image. For example the filaments to the right of the image are the remnants of an ancient supernova (SNR G332.4-00.4, also known as RCW 103), and the glowing red filaments at the lower left surround an unusual and very hot star (RCW 104, surrounding the Wolf\u2013Rayet star  WR 75). Patches of dark obscuring dust are also visible across the entire cosmic landscape.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/eso1607a1-1024x618.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26083","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=26083"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26083\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26084,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26083\/revisions\/26084"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=26083"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=26083"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=26083"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}