Space factStars
On December 27, 2004, Earth was hit by a burst of gamma rays so intense it disturbed our ionosphere. It came from a magnetar—a type of neutron star with an extreme magnetic field—located about 50,000 light-years away, and it was brighter than anything ever detected from beyond our Solar System. If this explosion had happened within about 10 light-years of us, it could have severely damaged our atmosphere. Thankfully, it was only a distant warning of the universe’s raw power.
~50,000 light-years
Distance to magnetar SGR 1806-20