Magnetars and Gamma Ray Burst sequence

Da "NASA - Picture of the Day" del 21-02-2005:"Last December, a dense sheet of Gamma Rays only a bit wider than the Earth plowed through our Solar System, saturating satellites and noticeably reflecting off the Moon. A magnetar near our Galactic Center, the source of Soft Gamma Repeater (SGR) 1806-20, had unleashed its largest flare on record. The brightness and briefness of the explosion's initial peak made it look quite similar to another type of tremendous explosion if viewed from further away - a short duration gamma-ray burst (GRB). Short duration GRBs are thought to be fundamentally different than their long duration GRB that are likely related to distant supernovae. In the picture there's a series of drawings depicting an outgoing explosion during the initial SGR spike. A fast moving wave of radiation is shooting away from a central magnetar. The possible link between SGRs and GRBs may become clearer as more and similar events are detected by the Earth-orbiting Swift Satellite".