The extraordinary magnetic Ap star HD 75049 has been studied with data obtained with the ESO VLT and 2.2-m telescopes .
Direct measurements reveal that the magnetic field modulus at maximum reaches 30 kG .
The star shows photometric , spectral and magnetic variability with a rotation period of 4.049 d. Variations of the mean longitudinal magnetic field can be described to first order by a centred dipole model with an inclination i = 25 ^ { \circ } , an obliquity \beta = 60 ^ { \circ } and a polar field B _ { p } = 42 kG .
The combination of the longitudinal and surface magnetic field measurements imply a radius of R = 1.7 R _ { \odot } , suggesting the star is close to the zero-age main sequence .
HD 75049 displays moderate overabundances of Si , Ti , Cr , Fe and large overabundances of rare earth elements .
This star has the second strongest magnetic field of any main sequence star after Babcock ’ s star , HD 215441 , which it rivals .