NASA's IXPE Studies Magnetar
NASA scientists using the IXPE observatory have conducted extensive observations of the magnetar 1E 1547-5408. The study may have provided the first direct evidence of vacuum birefringence, a phenomenon predicted by physics 90 years ago.
Why it matters
Confirming this prediction validates fundamental theories about how light interacts with ultra-strong magnetic fields in empty space.
NASA's IXPE Studies Magnetar | Mirage News
Scientists using NASA's IXPE (Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer) conducted more than 140 hours of observations of the magnetar 1E 1547-5408, shown in this Aug. 5, 2026, artist's concept, between March and April 2025. In doing so, they may have captured empty space behaving in a way physicists have predicted for 90 years , but never directly observed. Magnetars are a special class of neutron stars with ultra-strong magnetic fields, the strongest of any object in the observable universe, around a trillion times stronger than the strongest permanent magnets ever built on Earth. Image credit: NASA/Pablo Garcia
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