Extreme 'zombie star' capable of ripping human atoms apart is shooting through the Milky Way
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.
Astronomers have spotted an immensely powerful "zombie star" shooting through the Milky Way at more than 110,000 mph (177,000 km/h). The stellar cannonball, which has a magnetic field capable of ripping humans apart atom by atom, also has a puzzling origin story that could alter our understanding of similar stellar remnants.
The surprising object, dubbed SGR 0501+4516, is a magnetar, a neutron star with a powerful magnetic field. Neutron stars are the remains of dead stars that have collapsed into shriveled husks the size of small planets while retaining as much mass as sunlike stars. This makes neutron stars the densest known cosmic objects, behind the hypothesized singularities of black holes.
The incredibly compact object, which is one of only 30 known magnetars in the Milky Way, was first discovered in 2008, when it was around 15,000 light-years from Earth. But in a new study, published April 15 in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, researchers analyzed data of subsequent sightings of SGR 0501+4516 from the Hubble Space Telescope and the European Space Agency's Gaia spacecraft and found that the stellar remnant is moving through our galaxy much faster than expected.
Magnetars are among the most magnetic objects in the universe, and SGR 0501+4516 is no exception. Experts think the object's magnetic field is around 100 trillion times more powerful than Earth's protective shield.
If SGR 0501+4516 "flew by Earth at half the Moon's distance, its intense [magnetic] field would wipe out every credit card on our planet," NASA representatives wrote in a statement. "If a human got within 600 miles, the magnetar would become a proverbial sci-fi death-ray, ripping apart every atom inside the body." However, the undead star is not expected to get anywhere near the solar system.
Related: Immensely powerful 'magnetar' is emitting wobbly radio signals in our galaxy — and scientists can't explain them
The discovery challenges what we know about how magnetars form. Until now, researchers assumed that these objects are born from the explosions of dying stars that get blown apart before they are reforged into neutron stars. This is what researchers assumed had happened to SGR 0501+4516, which was originally spotted close to the supernova remnant HB9. However, the new study showed that the magnetar is moving too fast and in the wrong direction to have originated from this particular cosmic crime scene.
"Tracing the magnetar's trajectory thousands of years into the past showed that there were no other supernova remnants or massive star clusters with which it could be associated," NASA representatives added.
The researchers are still unsure exactly how SGR 0501+4516 was created. But they predict that it formed through the direct collapse of a white dwarf — the leftover core of a star after it has exhausted its fuel — rather than via a stellar explosion.
"Normally, the [supernova] scenario leads to the ignition of nuclear reactions, and the white dwarf exploding, leaving nothing behind," study co-author Andrew Levan, an astronomer at Radboud University in the Netherlands and the University of Warwick in England, said in the statement. "But it has been theorized that under certain conditions, the white dwarf can instead collapse into a neutron star. We think this might be how [this magnetar] was born."
RELATED STORIES
—Ultra-powerful plasma 'blades' could slice entire stars in half, new paper suggests
—Enormous explosion in 'Cigar Galaxy' reveals rare type of star never seen beyond the Milky Way
—Supernova that lit up Earth's skies 843 years ago has a flowering 'zombie star' at its heart — and it's still exploding
This formation method also hints at the mysterious origin of some fast radio bursts — extremely brief and intense flashes of radio-wave radiation — detected coming from faraway galaxies that are too ancient to host exploding stars, the researchers wrote. However, more data is needed to tell for sure.
"Magnetar birth rates and formation scenarios are among the most pressing questions in high-energy astrophysics, with implications for many of the universe's most powerful transient events," study co-author Nanda Rea, an astrophysicist at the Institute of Space Sciences in Barcelona, Spain, said in the statement.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
41 minutes ago
- Newsweek
List of Elon Musk's Government Contracts as Trump Threatens To Terminate
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. As Elon Musk and President Donald Trump traded jabs on their rival social media platforms, their feud has escalated beyond a public spat, threatening billions of dollars in federal contracts and throwing the future of America's space program into question. With Trump threatening to sever government ties with Musk's businesses, most notably SpaceX, Newsweek looked at the web of contracts that bind the billionaire's ventures to the U.S. government. Newsweek has reached out to SpaceX for comment via email on Friday. Why It Matters NASA and SpaceX have built one of the most significant public-private partnerships in modern space exploration. Since 2015, SpaceX has received more than $13 billion in NASA contracts, making it one of the agency's largest private partners. SpaceX is deeply integrated into U.S. national security and the space programs, with Clayton Swope, deputy director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies Aerospace Security Project, telling Newsweek: "SpaceX is not like the appendix but a vital organ in everything the United States is doing in space." Musk,the SpaceX CEO and former Trump ally headingthe Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), clashed publicly with the president on Thursday in a heated exchange on social media. The dispute began over Musk's criticism of a Trump-backed spending bill and escalated into threats over federal contracts and allegations involving Trump's ties to child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. SpaceX's mega rocket Starship makes a test flight from Starbase, Texas, on May 27, 2025. SpaceX's mega rocket Starship makes a test flight from Starbase, Texas, on May 27, 2025. AP Photo/Eric Gay What To Know On Thursday, the president threatened termination of Musk's various contracts, writing in a Truth Social post: "The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts." NASA press secretary Bethany Stevens told Newsweek in an emailed statement on Friday: "NASA will continue to execute upon the President's vision for the future of space. We will continue to work with our industry partners to ensure the President's objectives in space are met." Space experts largely agree that Musk essentially has a "monopoly" on the industry, responsible for key people movement and launching "more than 90 percent of the U.S. satellites into space," Darrell West, a senior fellow in the Center for Technology Innovation in the governance studies program at the Brookings Institution in Washington, told Newsweek. Musk also runs Starlink, a satellite subsidiary of SpaceX, that provides internet coverage to more than 100 countries, among other services. The billionaire's federal contracts range in research development, space exploration, utility and defense, particularly as space becomes more and more militarized. NASA Artemis In 2021, SpaceX was awarded the contract to help get American astronauts to the moon in development of the first commercial human lander. The initial contract was awarded at $2.89 billion, though various modifications have greatly increase that number, such as an additional $1.15 billion in 2022. In the 2021 press release, NASA said the program would help land the first woman and person of color on the moon. NASA Commercial Crew Transportation Awarded in 2014, SpaceX was selected to provide crew launch services to the International Space Station (ISS) through the development of Crew Dragon and its operational missions. The Crew Dragon is a capsule that transports astronauts to and from the ISS. Currently, NASA has no way to independently get to and from the ISS and would have to rely on the Russians for the transport. As a result of this and other measures, Scott Hubbard, former director of NASA's Ames Research Center, the first Mars program director and the founder of NASA's Astrobiology Institute, told Newsweek that he doesn't believe Trump's threats will be realized, saying: "There is no alternative to the F9-Dragon combination at present." Space X was awarded $2.6 billion for the project but has also received several multimillion-dollar contracts in relation to the larger project of ISS operations. The contract is set to expire when the ISS retires. It is planned to remain operation through 2030. At one point on Thursday, Musk threatened to decommission the Dragon spacecraft, a statement he has since retracted. NASA Commercial Resupply Services 2 In 2016, SpaceX received a NASA award to ensure cargo delivery to the ISS from 2019 to 2024. It launched its first mission in 2020, then conducted regular missions between 2021 and 2023. In 2022, NASA announced six more SpaceX missions, and in 2024 revealed plans to extend the contract through to the ISS' end in 2030. It's not exactly clear how much SpaceX was awarded for the missions, but in total, including missions with three providers, NASA awarded $14 billion combined. NASA ISS Deorbit Vehicle In June 2024, SpaceX was awarded a contract of up to $843 million to develop a U.S. Deorbit Vehicle to safely deorbit the ISS in 2030. NASA has pledged that the deorbit will be "in a controlled manner" that will "ensure avoidance of risk to populated areas." The contract will run through ISS' deorbiting process in 2030. NASA Launch Services SpaceX has several multimillion-dollar active launch contracts under NASA's Launch Services Program, which manages uncrewed missions. Contracts include a $255 million deal to launch NASA's Roman Space Telescope on a Falcon Heavy in 2026, a $178 million launch contract for NASA's Europa Clipper on Falcon Heavy, and a $256.6 million contract to launch the Dragonfly rotorcraft mission to Saturn's moon Titan, among others. U.S. Space Force National Security Space Launch (Phase 2) In 2020, SpaceX was granted contracts to launch some of the Pentagon's high-priority satellites into space for fiscal years 2022-2027. The initial contract was valued at $316 million, with an additional estimated billions in various task orders. The satellites allow security forces to communicate, geolocate and coordinate intelligence. U.S. Air Force (AFRL) – Rocket Cargo Program A $102 million contract was awarded in 2022 for SpaceX to use its resources to demonstrate technologies for point-to-point space transportation. The project involves collecting data and developing cargo designs for mass payloads, among other initiatives. U.S. Space Force and Department of Defense Starlink Services Contracts The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and Space Force have established several contracts with SpaceX for Starlink satellite services. In 2023, the Space Force awarded SpaceX about $70 million for Starlink satellite internet services that help provide military units with Starlink terminals and connectivity. Additionally, the Pentagon in mid-2023 confirmed a multimillion-dollar contract for Starlink to support operations in Ukraine, a close U.S. ally. Tesla Musk is also the head of Tesla, an electric vehicle company that has benefited from several government programs over the years, including federal loans from the Department of Energy and tax incentives. What Happens Next Several space experts told Newsweek it's unlikely the government will cancel SpaceX's contracts, citing the scale of the projects and the limited number of viable alternatives the government would have. Given the volatile nature of their feud, it remains unclear whether Trump will attempt to cancel existing contracts or limit future deals, or whether Musk could pull SpaceX out of its government commitments altogether.
New York Times
42 minutes ago
- New York Times
Buildup to a Meltdown: How the Trump-Musk Alliance Collapsed
President Trump was peeved. Just minutes before he walked into the Oval Office for a televised send-off for Elon Musk, an aide had handed him a file. The papers in that file showed that Mr. Trump's nominee to run NASA — a close associate of Mr. Musk's — had donated to prominent Democrats in recent years, including some who Mr. Trump was learning about for the first time. The president set his outrage aside and mustered through the public farewell, with both men praising each other and saying their relationship would continue. But as soon as the cameras left the Oval Office, the president confronted Mr. Musk. Mr. Trump started to read some of the donations out loud, shaking his head and pointing out several of the most recent ones in the file. This was not good, the president said — an early signal of the simmering tensions between the two men that would explode into the open less than a week later. Mr. Musk, who was sporting a black eye, which he blamed on a tussle with his young son, tried to explain. He said his friend Jared Isaacman, a billionaire entrepreneur who was set to become the next NASA administrator, cared about getting things done. Yes, he had donated to Democrats, but so had a lot of people. Maybe it's a good thing, Mr. Musk told the president — it shows that you're willing to hire people of all stripes. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Over the moon: How the Trump-Musk feud helps the lunar mission
The alliance between Donald Trump and Elon Musk — to borrow a phrase from the space community — has undergone a rapid unscheduled disassembly. Yet amid all the fireworks Thursday from the duo's public meltdown, one area of the space world seems to have a brighter future: the moon mission. Musk, the SpaceX founder and well-known Mars enthusiast, has argued against returning astronauts to the lunar surface. But the stunning forced exitof the billionaire's handpicked nominee for NASA chief and Musk's massive rupture with the president have handed moon backers in Congress and industry an opening — and they're seizing it. 'Elon was the main reason for the fork in the road for NASA's human exploration plans,' said Clayton Swope, a former congressional adviser on space. 'With his exodus from D.C., there's a good chance NASA will refocus back to the moon with the plan: moon then Mars.' A number of major space companies — just not SpaceX — are launching an ad campaign going big on the moon, according to two industry officials granted anonymity to discuss the effort. The move is the first sign of real pushback against the behemoth space company and its founder, who only days ago seemed to lock down government contracts every time he blinked. A television ad funded by the companies, who do not go by an umbrella name, will appear on television in the coming days with a pitch clearly aimed at Trump. A narrator, underlaid by dramatic images of America's Apollo missions, implores voters to call senators in support of the moon mission and 'keep America first in space.' A separate letter addressed to the Senate Commerce Committee, and obtained by POLITICO, backs investments in the moon, and is signed by a lengthy slate of prominent space companies — but not SpaceX. As the feud between Trump and Musk escalated on Thursday evening, the Senate Commerce Committee unveiled a new reconciliation bill that would channel $10 billion to NASA. Much of it would go to the space agency's effort to return to the moon through the Artemis program. The White House's NASA budget had proposed major cuts to Artemis, including slashing a planned lunar space station and moon missions. 'Anybody who's following space will have noticed how deeply committed [the committee is] to getting back to the moon, particularly before the Chinese get there,' said a committee aide, who was granted anonymity to discuss the bill. All of this is happening amid Musk's very public fall from grace. Trump, during the social media showdown with his former confidante, threatened to cancel Musk's contracts with the government. The SpaceX founder responded by saying he would end the Dragon spacecraft contract, which is the U.S.' only reliable way of accessing the International Space Station. (But he also suggested late Thursday night that he might not actually do so, and Trump played down the dispute in a POLITICO interview.) The president had already abruptly pulled the NASA administrator nomination for Musk ally Jared Isaacman last week, just days ahead of his likely confirmation by the Senate. Isaacman, speaking on a podcast this week, linked his ouster to Musk's provocative departure from the White House. 'I don't think the timing was much of a coincidence,' he said. This all means Congress may now have a stronger hand in negotiations with the White House over the NASA budget, which was written before Musk's break from Trump and heavily favors Mars. The administration's budget proposes major cuts to spending for the moon in favor of nearly $1 billion for landing an astronaut on Mars. SpaceX, thanks to provisions in the bill, was likely to snag a lucrative contract to build the landing system for any red planet mission. That seems much less feasible now. Senators from states with large NASA centers — such as Alabama and Louisiana — are particularly keen to latch on to moon funding. Trump has voiced support for a Mars mission, meaning the idea may not have completely faded. But with Musk's implosion and the latest moon push, a return to the lunar surface is on firmer ground than it was just a week ago. POLITICO PRO SPACE: Need an insider's guide to the politics behind the new space race? From battles over sending astronauts to Mars to the ways space companies are vying to influence regulators, this weekly newsletter decodes the personalities, policy and power shaping the final frontier. Try it for free for a limited time starting today. Find out more.
