For the first time, astronomers witnessed the birth of a 'magnetar'

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Astronomers observed a superluminous supernova, SN 2024afav, in December 2024, located one billion light-years from Earth.
The supernova's brightness oscillated unusually, showing four fluctuations instead of the typical one or two.
Researchers concluded that the event marked the birth of a magnetar, a highly magnetized neutron star, confirming a 16-year-old theory.
Magnetars, formed from stars with strong magnetic fields, can accelerate particles to collide with supernova debris, increasing brightness.
The study used general relativity to explain the wobbling of an asymmetrical accretion disk around the magnetar, causing the observed luminosity oscillations.
This discovery is a significant milestone in astronomy and general relativity, though magnetars may not explain all superluminous supernovae.

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