We saw one of the most powerful magnets in the Universe come to life - and our theories can't quite explain it.

Astronomers have observed the reawakening of a magnetar, one of the most powerful magnets in the universe. This magnetar, named XTE J1810-197, emitted gamma rays, X-rays, and radio waves as its tangled magnetic field untwisted. By studying magnetar outbursts, scientists are gaining insight into their behavior and potential connections to fast radio bursts from distant galaxies. Two new studies published in Nature Astronomy used radio telescopes to capture unprecedented changes in the radio waves emitted by XTE J1810-197, revealing a slight wobble in its spin and a conversion of linearly polarized radio waves to circularly polarized waves. These findings contribute to our understanding of magnetars and their outbursts. [Extracted from the article]