An article published in the journal “Science” reports a study that identifies one of the stars in the binary system HD 45166 as the likely precursor of a magnetar. A team of researchers led by Tomer Shenar of the University of Amsterdam used various telescopes to study a so-called helium star, a massive star that is nearing the end of its life and has already ejected its outer layers and is left with a core formed by helium on its surface. This star revealed an extremely powerful magnetic field, estimated to be about 100,000 times the Earth’s.