--- title: "Scientists Startled by Dead Star That Appears to Have a Solid Exterior" description: "Everything we know about dead stars may be in need for a tune-up now that astronomers have discovered one that appears to lack and atmosphere and have a solid-like surface. By using a new technique called polarization that, quote, measures \"the direction of the light waves’ wiggle,\" a consortium of Italian and English scientists have […]" date: "2022-11-08" modified: "2022-11-08" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/weird-magnetar-star-solid-surface" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "magnetar" - "neutron stars" - "space" - "the digest" --- # Scientists Startled by Dead Star That Appears to Have a Solid Exterior ![Scientists have discovered a dead magnetar star that appears to have a frozen, crusty outer shell — and no atmosphere, to boot.]() *\Image: Getty Images\* ## Dead Star Everything we know about dead stars may be in need of an update now that astronomers have discovered one that appears to lack an atmosphere — and, fascinatingly, appears to feature a solid-like surface. "This was completely unexpected," UCL's Professor Silvia Zane, who coauthored a study about the celestial body [published recently]() in the journal *Science*, said in a [statement]() about the research. "I was convinced there would be an atmosphere. The star’s gas has reached a tipping point and become solid in a similar way that water might turn to ice. This is a result of the star’s incredibly strong magnetic field." ## The Wiggles As the statement notes, the star in question is what's known as a magnetar. While its name sounds Pokémon-esque, it's just a term for intensely magnetized neutron stars, which are the dense remaining cores of massive stars that exploded as supernovae. Magnetars' magnetic fields are the strongest in the known universe. This particular one, dubbed 4U 0142+61 and located in the Cassiopeia constellation, was subject to a new analysis in which scientists examined its X-ray emissions, revealing something odd: a far smaller amount of polarized light than would be expected of a normal star's atmosphere. The conclusion? It doesn't appear to have one. And what's more, the team also found a "wiggle"-like angle of polarization suggesting that the dead star likely sports a "solid crust." The finding is not only a curiosity unto itself, but could also help explain whether other neutron stars have atmospheres at all, which is hotly debated among astronomers even though a thin carbon atmosphere was [detected on one]() by Harvard and NASA's Chandra Observatory back in 2009. For now, though, we just have to marvel. **More neutron stars:** [*Astronomers Puzzled by Extremely Peculiar Object in Deep Space*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()