Illustration of a magnetar
Date: 16 June 2009
Satellite: XMM-Newton
Depicts: magnetar
Copyright: NASA
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SGR 0501+4516, the first new Soft Gamma repeater in 10 years was observed by XMM-Newton and INTEGRAL as a target of opportunity shortly after it became active in August 2008.
Above: An artist's impression of a magnetar.
Below: XMM-Newton observations of the magnetar SGR 0501+4516.
Magnetar is the name given to two types of high-energy sources: anomalous X-ray pulsars (AXP), and soft gamma repeaters (SGR). First discovered in the X-ray band, these sources are believed to contain an ultra-magnetized neutron star, that is a neutron star with a magnetic field of the order of 1014-1015G.
Last Update: 1 September 2019