neutron-star

A magnetar is a neutron star with the strongest magnetic field known — lethal from 1,000 km away. Here is how magnetars form, why they erupt in giant flares, and how one was caught producing a fast radio burst in 2020.

A supernova outshines an entire galaxy for weeks. It also forges every element heavier than iron — the calcium in your bones, the iodine in your thyroid, the gold in jewellery. Here's how they work.