On December 27, 2004, Earth was hit by a burst of gamma rays so intense it partially ionized our atmosphere. It came from a magnetar—a type of neutron star with an extreme magnetic field—located 50,000 light-years away. If this explosion had been just a few light-years closer, it could have wiped out life on Earth. Thankfully, it was only a distant warning of the universe’s raw power.
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