{
  "id": 268646,
  "title": "NASA’s IXPE Studies Magnetar",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/07/nasas-ixpe-studies-magnetar",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-07T14:27:35.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "NASA",
    "slug": "nasa",
    "url": "https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/nasas-ixpe-studies-magnetar/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "Scientists using NASA's IXPE (Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer) conducted over 140 hours of observations of the magnetar 1E 1547-5408 between March and April 2025. According to NASA, this may have resulted in the capture of empty space behaving in a way physicists have predicted for 90 years, but never directly observed.\n\nMagnetars are a special class of neutron stars with ultra-strong magnetic fields, which are the strongest of any object in the observable universe. These magnetic fields are around a trillion times stronger than the strongest permanent magnets ever built on Earth.\n\nThe observations were of a magnetar, shown in an August 5, 2026 artist's concept.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}