Post by Shadow on Sept 27, 2005 12:25:57 GMT -5
Space.com
By Bjorn Carey
LiveScience Staff Writer
posted: 27 September 2005
12:01 am ET
Astronomers have found the first evidence of cracks in a neutron star's crust. The star cracked when it was rocked by the strongest "starquake" ever recorded, researchers said last week.
Last December, astronomers worldwide monitored the explosion that caused this starquake. The eruption was huge – in the first 200 milliseconds of the event the star released energy equivalent to what our Sun produces in 250,000 years. It was the brightest explosion ever detected outside of the Milky Way.
Now scientists have used a collection of data from various satellites to provide the first observational evidence that the blast caused the star to form cracks several miles long. Scientists hope these cracks will provide a window into the mysterious interiors of neutron stars.
There are millions of neutron stars in the Milky Way galaxy alone, and some of these have magnetic fields trillions of times stronger than Earth's, the strongest of which are called magnetars.
This particular magnetar – SGR 1806-20 – is surrounded by the strongest magnetic field known in the universe. This could explain why the starquake – caused when the magnetar's crust could no longer contain the magnetic stress building in the star's interior – was so intense.
A magnetar's interior is a dense, liquid-like mix of neutrons, protons, and electrons – making it a terrific conductor of electricity. Because it has the characteristics of a fluid, it moves around a lot. The magnetar's magnetic field loops around the star, and all this movement in the interior messes with the field's shape, winding it up like you might do with a rubber band.
By Bjorn Carey
LiveScience Staff Writer
posted: 27 September 2005
12:01 am ET
Astronomers have found the first evidence of cracks in a neutron star's crust. The star cracked when it was rocked by the strongest "starquake" ever recorded, researchers said last week.
Last December, astronomers worldwide monitored the explosion that caused this starquake. The eruption was huge – in the first 200 milliseconds of the event the star released energy equivalent to what our Sun produces in 250,000 years. It was the brightest explosion ever detected outside of the Milky Way.
Now scientists have used a collection of data from various satellites to provide the first observational evidence that the blast caused the star to form cracks several miles long. Scientists hope these cracks will provide a window into the mysterious interiors of neutron stars.
There are millions of neutron stars in the Milky Way galaxy alone, and some of these have magnetic fields trillions of times stronger than Earth's, the strongest of which are called magnetars.
This particular magnetar – SGR 1806-20 – is surrounded by the strongest magnetic field known in the universe. This could explain why the starquake – caused when the magnetar's crust could no longer contain the magnetic stress building in the star's interior – was so intense.
A magnetar's interior is a dense, liquid-like mix of neutrons, protons, and electrons – making it a terrific conductor of electricity. Because it has the characteristics of a fluid, it moves around a lot. The magnetar's magnetic field loops around the star, and all this movement in the interior messes with the field's shape, winding it up like you might do with a rubber band.