By: Valerie Stimac | Updated: Feb 4, 2021 " " Gamma-ray flares, such as these from SGR J1550-5418, may arise when a magnetar's surface suddenly cracks, releasing energy stored within its powerful magnetic field. NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab Our knowledge of the universe is always expanding, much like the universe itself. This means that we occasionally discover something new, or come up with a new model to explain data we didn't quite understand before. One such astronomical phenomena is the magnetar, a powerful type of neutron star that was first proposed in 1979. That year, astronomers suggested that certain blasts of gamma and X-ray radiation and radio pulses might be explained by stars with exceptionally powerful magnetic fields.