magnetar

British  

/ ˈmæɡnɪtɑː /

noun

1. a type of neutron star that has a very intense magnetic field, over 1000 times greater than that of a pulsar

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magnetar Scientific  

/ măg′nə-tär′ /

1. A neutron star with a very strong magnetic field. Magnetars are the proposed sources of observed gamma ray bursts.

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Etymology

Origin of magnetar

C20: from _magnet ( _ic ) ( _st ) _ar , on the model of _quasar

Example Sentences

As the disk precesses, it periodically blocks and reflects light coming from the magnetar.

From Science Daily • Mar. 11, 2026

One possibility, the team says, is a highly magnetized neutron star, or magnetar, that has aged and slowed but somehow held onto its strong magnetic field.

From Science Magazine • Dec. 3, 2024

A team in China that reported finding the same 44-minute LPT with the Daocheng Radio Telescope, in a preprint on arXiv last week, favors the magnetar idea.

From Science Magazine • Dec. 3, 2024

In this case, had the observations been performed even just a day later, there would not have been such strong proof that this was indeed a magnetar and not a gamma-ray burst.

From Science Daily • Apr. 24, 2024

At roughly 8,000 light years away, this magnetar is also the closest known to Earth.

From Science Daily • Apr. 8, 2024