SGR 1806−20
| Observation data Epoch J2000 Equinox J2000 | |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Sagittarius |
| Right ascension | 18h 08m 39.32s |
| Declination | −20° 24′ 39.5″ |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | totally obscured |
| Astrometry | |
| Distance | 42,000 ly (13,000 pc) |
| Details | |
| Rotation | 7.55592 s |
| Other designations | |
| GRB 790107, INTEGRAL1 84, AX 1805.7-2025 GRB 970912, INTREF 882, CXOU J180839.3-202439, HETE Trigger 1566, KONUS 07.01.79, EQ 1805.7-2025, HETE Trigger 3801, PSR J1808−2024, GBS 1806-20, HETE Trigger 3800, RX J1808.6−2024 | |
| Database references | |
| SIMBAD | data |
SGR 1806−20 is a magnetar, a type of neutron star with a very powerful magnetic field, that was discovered in 1979 and identified as a soft gamma repeater. SGR 1806−20 is located about 13 kiloparsecs (42,000 light-years) from Earth on the far side of the Milky Way in the constellation of Sagittarius. It has a diameter of no more than 20 kilometres (12 mi) and rotates on its axis every 7.5 seconds (30,000 kilometres per hour (19,000 mph) rotation speed at the equator on the surface). As of 2016, SGR 1806-20 is the most highly magnetized object ever observed, with a magnetic field of over 1015 gauss (G) (1011 tesla) intensity (compared to the Sun's 1–5 G and Earth's 0.25–0.65 G).