Neutron stars, the source of magnetars, are space structures that are produced when a massive star, about 10 to 50 times the mass of our Sun, explodes into a supernova, at the end of its burning cycle. When this happens, the outer layers of the atmosphere are cast out into space, while the core of the star collapses under its own weight into a very small space. On account of these restrictions, electrons and protons collapse into neutrons, so as not to take so much space on their own. The matter making up these stars becomes incredibly dense, and the bodies begin venting off some of that matter as particles. Some of them begin producing incredibly large magnetic fields.

The target of the new GTC investigations was not the magnetic field of the magnetar, but rather the impressive bursts of light that escape its surface when fractures form. These events are also caused by movements in the star's magnetic field, and the end-result is almost always an eruption of low-energy gamma rays. With the new data and future GTC studies, experts hope to be able to “understand how and where the emission originates, helping to clarify the basic physical characteristics of these ultra-strong magnetic fields,” Esposito explains. Full details of the work will appear in this week's issue of the respected scientific publication Royal Astronomical Society.