A BLAST OF GAMMA LIGHT, representing the largest batch of energy to arrive at Earth from a star beyond our solar system, struck the upper reaches of our atmosphere on 27 August 1998. The 5-minute pulse of high-energy radiation momentarily disrupted some terrestrial radio traffic and sent detectors on several spacecraft off scale. The source of the blast is believed to be a neutron star previously known for its intermittent gamma and x-ray emissions. The potency of the August event, however, would seem to characterize the star as a very rare type of object that has come to be known as a magnetar, so named because the star's magnetic field is expected to be in the vicinity of 10¹⁵ gauss, 100 times larger than ordinary neutron stars, and essentially the largest known magnetic field in the universe. The gammas probably arise when magnetic forces crack open the star's crust. Ionized particles above the star ride the magnetic fields, spewing radiation as they go, creating a much more potent version of the solar flares seen on our sun. (Science News, 12 September 1998.)