Classified by observers as Soft Gamma Repeaters (SGRs) and Anomalous X-ray Pulsars (AXPs), these cosmic powerhouses are likely city-sized, spinning, highly-magnetized neutron stars.
How strong is a magnetar's magnetic field?
The Earth's magnetic field which deflects compass needles is measured to be about 1 Gauss, while the strongest fields sustainable in earthbound laboratories are about 100,000 Gauss.
A magnetar's monster magnetic field is estimated to be as high as 1,000,000,000,000,000 Gauss.
A magnet this strong, located at about half the distance to the Moon would easily erase your credit cards and suck pens out of your pocket.
At the surface of the magnetar, its powerful magnetic field is thought to buckle and shift the neutron star crust generating the intense high-energy flares
