A team of astronomers using the Chinese Insight-HXMT x-ray telescope have made a direct measurement of the strongest magnetic field in the known universe. The magnetic field belongs to a magnetar currently in the process of cannibalizing an orbiting companion. Magnetars are nasty, but thankfully rare. They are a special kind of neutron star that … Continue reading A new Record for the Strongest Magnetic Field Seen in the Universe: 1.6 Billion Tesla