Why in News:

• • Scientists have detected what appears to be an incredibly dense star behaving unlike anything else ever seen  and it may be the first known example of what is called an ”ultra-long period magnetar.
  • A magnetar is a rare compact type of neutron star teeming with high energy and magnetism. They experience violent eruptions or intense bursts in the form of transient X-ray pulses which are several orders higher than that of the Sun.Magnetars are relatively rare objects, with only about thirty having been spotted within the Milky Way so far.

• To read more about Magnetars- https://officerspulse.com/magnetar/ 

What is a Transient Magnetar/Ultra-Long Period Magnetar?

• This is a variety of neutron star – the compact collapsed core of a massive star that exploded as a supernova – that is highly magnetised and rotates relatively slowly, as opposed to fast-spinning neutron star objects called pulsars that appear from Earth to be blinking on and off within milliseconds or seconds.
• It fits into a category called “transients” – astrophysical objects that appear to turn on for limited amounts of time. 
  • Slow transients like a supernova can suddenly appear then disappear a few months later as the stellar explosion dissipates. 
  • Pulsars are “fast transients,” rapidly blinking on and off. 
• Transients between these two extremes had remained elusive until now.

 Reference:

1. https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/scientists-spot-a-blinking-stars-totally-unexpected-behaviour/article38346136.ece