Astronomy Picture of the Day · February 21, 2005

Galactic Magnetar Throws Giant Flare

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for February 21, 2005 is “Galactic Magnetar Throws Giant Flare,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Illustration Credit & Copyright: Robert Mallozzi ( UAH , MSFC )). The original explanation runs about 181 words.

From the explanation

“Was the brightest Galactic blast yet recorded a key to connecting two types of celestial explosions? Last December, a dense sheet of gamma rays only a few times wider than the Earth plowed through our Solar System, saturating satellites and noticeably reflecting off the Moon .”

— APOD editors, February 21, 2005

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date: February 21, 2005
Type: Image
Credit: Credit: Illustration Credit & Copyright: Robert Mallozzi ( UAH , MSFC )
Copyright: Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length: About 181 words

All of February 2005 → · 2005 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

Topics in this entry

The Moon

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: February 21 in other years

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Source

Astronomy Picture of the Day, February 21, 2005 — science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2005-february-21-galactic-magnetar-throws-giant-flare

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.