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Ghostly Ring Found Circling Dead Star

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the check-your-optics dept.

Roland Piquepaille writes "An international team of scientists has found a strange ring around a dead star by using images taken by NASA's Spitzer space telescope. This star, called SGR 1900+14, belongs to a class of objects known as magnetars. According to NASA, a magnetar is 'a highly magnetized neutron star and the remnant of a brilliant supernova explosion signaling the death throes of a massive star.' So far, about a dozen magnetars have been found. An amazing thing about these stellar objects is their magnetic field. One of the researchers said that 'magnetars possess magnetic fields a million billion times stronger than the magnetic field of the Earth.'

3 of 207 comments (clear)

  1. I, for one by Hawthorne01 · · Score: 0, Redundant

    welcome our new Protector overlords.

    --
    "Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
  2. Goatse? by sethstorm · · Score: -1, Redundant

    Am I the only one to think it would be goatse after reading the word ring?

    --
    Twitter supports and protects racists - by smearing their critics with the "Hate Speech" label.
  3. Re:Rings aren't that uncommon! by tommeke100 · · Score: 0, Redundant

    I for one, welcome our Jupitor overlords !