Scrub a log-scale field-strength comparison from Earth and fridge-magnet scales up through ordinary pulsars to magnetar strength, then pulse a teaching giant-flare flash and read the published census and field figures.
Magnetars are neutron stars with the strongest known magnetic fields - about 10^14 to 10^15 Gauss (~a million billion Gauss). NASA Chandra contrasts that with Earth (~1 Gauss) and a fridge magnet (~100 Gauss). Ordinary pulsars sit near 10^8 to 10^12 Gauss. As of the 2020 Swift discovery of J1818.0-1607, about 31 magnetars were known among roughly 3,000 known neutron stars.
Drag to orbit and scroll or pinch to zoom. For lighthouse-beam rotation emphasis see the Neutron Star Pulsar 3D Explorer; for extreme gravity see the Black Hole 3D Explorer.
Magnetar 3D Explorer
This browser explorer shows a magnetar as a dense neutron-star remnant with exaggerated magnetic field lines and a log-scale field-strength comparison, using published NASA Chandra and Swift figures in the facts panel.
Magnetar fields are about 10^14 to 10^15 Gauss. Earth is about 1 Gauss and a fridge magnet about 100 Gauss. Ordinary pulsars sit near 10^8 to 10^12 Gauss. The quantum critical field is about 4.4 x 10^13 Gauss. About 31 magnetars were known among roughly 3,000 neutron stars as of the 2020 Swift discovery.
- Scrub the field comparison ladder (Earth to magnetar)
- Pulse a teaching giant-flare flash
- Read field-strength, quantum-critical, and census figures
- Compare with the neutron-star pulsar sibling (lighthouse-beam emphasis)
- Drag to orbit, scroll or pinch to zoom
- Runs fully in the browser with the vendored three.js engine - no account, no upload
| Figure | Published value |
|---|---|
| Magnetar field | ~10^14 to 10^15 Gauss |
| Earth / fridge (NASA Chandra) | ~1 G / ~100 G |
| Ordinary pulsar field | ~10^8 to 10^12 Gauss |
| Quantum critical field | ~4.4 x 10^13 Gauss |
| Census (Swift 2020) | ~31 magnetars of ~3,000 neutron stars |
For lighthouse-beam rotation, open the Neutron Star Pulsar 3D Explorer.
Everything renders on your device with WebGL. The 3D engine loads once (about 0.7 MB) and is cached.
This is an educational approximation - field lines and flash are teaching cues, not a magnetohydrodynamics model.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a magnetar?
A neutron star with an extreme magnetic field - about 10^14 to 10^15 Gauss (~a million billion Gauss). NASA Chandra contrasts that with Earth (~1 Gauss) and a fridge magnet (~100 Gauss).
How many magnetars are known?
As of the 2020 Swift discovery of J1818.0-1607, about 31 magnetars were known among roughly 3,000 known neutron stars (NASA Chandra).
How is this different from the neutron-star pulsar page?
The pulsar explorer emphasizes lighthouse-beam rotation. This page teaches extreme field-strength comparison and a teaching giant-flare pulse cue.
What is the quantum critical field figure?
About 4.4 x 10^13 Gauss - a published reference scale between ordinary pulsars and magnetar fields.
Are the field lines exact physics?
No. They are teaching cues mapped to published field-strength ranges in the facts panel.
Does this page run magnetohydrodynamics?
No. It is an educational explorer using published NASA Chandra / Swift figures - not a magnetohydrodynamics model.