Scientists using Hubble have captured a mysterious magnetar in the Milky Way - but no one knows exactly where this strange stellar remnant came from.

Magnetars are dead stars with incredibly strong magnetic fields. So strong, in fact, that if one were to pass close to the Moon, it could ruin all the credit cards on Earth!

Hubble has been tracking this magnetar for a long time, and astronomers now think it was not created by a supernova explosion. It's so mysterious that it may even help us solve the mystery of fast radio bursts.

Image description: Artist's impression of a magnetar, a special type of neutron star with an incredibly strong magnetic field. The neutron star in the center of the image is depicted as a mottled blue-white sphere with a bright rim and streamers hanging from it. Concentric blue lines surround the neutron star like a lattice from top right to bottom left, symbolizing the intense magnetic field the star possesses. The words “Artist's illustration” appear in white text at the bottom right.

 

Image credits: ESA

I see it as an apple. What do you think it looks like?