Magnetar Flares: Cosmic Alchemists?

[Paul Ferguson]

"A fresh study has shed light on a new potential source of the universe's heavy elements, such as gold and uranium. Astronomers, who have long puzzled over the celestial origin of these elements, now suggest that magnetar flares could be significant contributors. This revelation stems from a reanalysis of archival data, which indicates that magnetars, the incredibly dense remnants of supernovae boasting strong magnetic fields, could account for up to 10% of heavy elements in the Milky Way. The findings were highlighted in a recent report by researchers at The Ohio State University."

https://hoodline.com/2025/05/galactic-go...rs-reveal/

[Paul Ferguson]

"Thanks to new observations from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, researchers now believe that magnetars —the universe’s most magnetic “zombie stars”— could be the real alchemists of space. And they do it not with polite star mergers, but with violent, chaotic flares that blast gold, platinum, and uranium into the cosmos in the span of a few seconds."

https://eladelantado.com/news/magnetars-...ames-webb/