Astronomers Detect Mysterious Deep Space Object Emitting Strange Signals
In a discovery that has left scientists baffled, astronomers have identified a mysterious object in deep space that emits regular bursts of radio waves and X-rays, unlike anything previously observed.
The object, named ASKAP J1832- 0911, was first detected by Australia's Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) radio telescope and later confirmed by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, one of the most advanced space-based X-ray telescopes in operation.
According to a new study published in the journal Nature, the object releases intense signals for two minutes every 44 minutes - a highly unusual pattern that does not fit existing models of known cosmic bodies.
"It is unlike anything we have seen before," said lead researcher Andy Wang from Curtin University in Australia. ASKAP J1832-0911 has been classified as a "long-period transient" (LPT) - a rare type of cosmic source that emits bursts of energy at long and regular intervals.
Researchers suspect the object could be a magnetar - a highly magnetised remnant of a dead star - or perhaps part of a binary system involving a magnetised white dwarf. However, the precise nature of the signals remains unexplained.
"Even the most likely explanations don't fully account for what we are observing," Wang noted, adding that the discovery could hint at new astrophysical phenomena or previously unknown stages of stellar evolution.
The team now hopes to find similar objects using a combination of radio and X-ray telescopes, which could shed light on the mysterious behaviour of such long-period transients.
The discovery comes amid a string of recent breakthroughs in space science. Earlier this month, scientists reported what they believe could be potential signs of life on an exoplanet, based on signals that may indicate biological activity - another finding that has stirred excitement and debate in the scientific community.
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