A Cosmic Explosion Glowed in X-Rays for 10 Minutes. Did Astronomers Just Watch a Magnetar Being Born?
Astronomers may have caught a magnetar forming. A study published in Science Bulletin, reported by ZME Science on October 2, 2026, describes an unusual burst called EP250704a (also designated GRB 250704B).
What was seen
On July 4, 2025 a burst began with a gamma-ray flash lasting only four-tenths of a second. That is typical of two neutron stars colliding. But instead of fading, the source kept shining in softer X-rays for nearly 10 minutes. The researchers say this is the longest-lasting prompt X-ray emission yet linked to a neutron star merger.
Neutron stars, magnetars and mergers
A neutron star forms when a massive star's core collapses. ZME Science says one can pack more mass than the Sun into a sphere roughly the size of a city. Two of them can orbit each other and slowly spiral together as they lose energy through gravitational waves. When they collide, the impact can produce a short gamma-ray burst, forge heavy elements such as gold and platinum, and send ripples through spacetime.
A magnetar is a neutron star wrapped in an enormously powerful magnetic field. The astronomers' idea is that a newborn magnetar kept pumping energy into the wreckage after the first flash, which would explain the long X-ray glow.
What is still uncertain
This is a proposed explanation. The report says the merger "may have" produced a magnetar, and the authors suggest the long X-ray signal might be a new way to spot such collisions. It has not been settled by this single event.
Sources
- ZME Science, "A Strange Cosmic Explosion Glowed in X-Rays for 10 Minutes. A Magnetar May Have Been Born", October 2, 2026 (reporting a study in Science Bulletin): https://www.zmescience.com/science/magnetar-formation-two-neutron-stars/
Facts checked: October 3, 2026.