NASA telescope observes merging hot spots on newfound ultra magnetic star

NASA's Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER), an X-ray telescope installed aboard the International Space Station, has observed the merging of multimillion-degree X-ray spots on a magnetar's surface for the first time.

The newly-discovered magnetar, called SGR 1830-0645 (or SGR 1830), lies about 13,000 light-years away in the constellation Scutum. NASA defines Magnetars as a type of isolated neutron star, the crushed core left behind when a massive star explodes. They are well over a trillion times more magnetic than the Sun and Earth.

According to NASA, on October 10, 2020, the agency's Swift observatory discovered an outburst from SGR 1830. Turning to the source, the telescope detected repeated pulses that revealed the object was rotating every 10.4 seconds. NICER measurements from the same day also show that the X-ray emission exhibited three close peaks with every rotation.

"NICER observed SGR 1830 almost daily from its discovery to Nov. 17, after which the Sun was too close to the field of view for safe observation. Over this period, the emission peaks gradually shifted, occurring at slightly different times in the magnetar's rotation. The results favour a model where the spots form and move as a result of crustal motion, in much the same way as the motion of tectonic plates on Earth drives seismic activity," NASA explained in a blog post.

Astronomers believe that the three moving hot spots likely represent locations where coronal loops - frequently seen on the Sun - connect to the surface.

"Changes in pulse shape, including decreasing numbers of peaks, previously have been seen only in a few ‘snapshot’ observations widely separated in time, so there was no way to track their evolution. Such changes could have occurred suddenly, which would be more consistent with a lurching magnetic field than wandering hot spots," notes Zaven Arzoumanian, the NICER science lead at Goddard.

Installed in June 2017, NASA's NICER provides high-precision measurements of neutron stars, objects containing ultra-dense matter at the threshold of collapse into black holes.

Think it's warm outside? Try millions of degrees! 🥵 NICER has observed the merging of mulitmillion-degree X-ray spots on the surface of a magnetar. Magnetars are ultra magnetic stars.This mission helps scientists understand the interplay between the crust & magnetic fields. pic.twitter.com/bCTgCUo4p4

— NASA Goddard (@NASAGoddard) March 8, 2022