# Magnetar Starquake: The Universe's Most Violent Tantrum
Published: December 27, 2025
Duration: 1:48
# This is your Astronomy Tonight podcast.
Today, December 27th, marks a date of cosmic significance that reminds us just how violent and dramatic the universe can be!
On December 27th, 2004, the most powerful explosion ever recorded in our galaxy erupted from a neutron star located about 50,000 light-years away. We're talking about the famous **starquake on SGR 1806-20** – a magnetar that essentially had the most spectacular cosmic tantrum imaginable.
Picture this: you have a neutron star so dense that a teaspoon of its material would weigh as much as all the elephants on Earth combined. No...
Today, December 27th, marks a date of cosmic significance that reminds us just how violent and dramatic the universe can be!
On December 27th, 2004, the most powerful explosion ever recorded in our galaxy erupted from a neutron star located about 50,000 light-years away. We're talking about the famous **starquake on SGR 1806-20** – a magnetar that essentially had the most spectacular cosmic tantrum imaginable.
Picture this: you have a neutron star so dense that a teaspoon of its material would weigh as much as all the elephants on Earth combined. No...