Magnetar Giant Flare GRB 200415A (VIDEO) University of Johannesburg This video is under embargo. Please login to access this video. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Caption (90 second, 9.5MB video) On April 15 2020, a giant wave of X-rays and gamma rays lasting only a fraction of a second swept across the solar system, triggering detectors on NASA and European spacecraft. The GRB 200415A event was a giant flare from a magnetar, a type of city-sized neutron star that boasts the strongest magnetic fields known. Prof Soebur Razzaque from the University of Johannesburg shares what happens during a giant flare, and how these powerful explosions can tell us more about the history of the universe. Credit Animation: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Chris Smith (USRA/GESTAR). Video: Therese van Wyk, University of Johannesburg. Usage Restrictions None License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.