Magnetar 1 (of 3) (IMAGE) Penn State Caption Deep at the heart of this event, the core has shrunk into a fantastically dense magnetar, a neutron star possessing a magnetic field trillions or even quadrillions of times stronger than Earth's. The magnetism is what powers the long glow of X-rays seen by Earthbound scientists. Credit None 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.