Latest news with #ASKAPJ1831-0911
Time of India
4 days ago
- Science
- Time of India
Rare space object blasts X-rays and radio waves every 44 minutes
Astronomers have detected a rare space object that emits powerful bursts of energy in both radio and X-ray wavelengths every 44 minutes. The object, known as ASKAP J1832-0911 , lies around 15,000 light-years away in the Milky Way and is the first of its kind to show such behaviour across both ends of the electromagnetic spectrum. Long-period transients (LPTs) a recently identified class of cosmic bodies typically emit brief pulses of radio waves separated by hours or minutes. But until now, none had been observed producing X-ray emissions . ASKAP J1832-0911 has changed that, emitting energy levels far beyond anything previously recorded in this category. 'This object is unlike anything we have seen before,' said Dr Ziteng (Andy) Wang, lead author of the study and a researcher at Curtin University, part of the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR). The findings were published this week in *Nature*. A lucky observation by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch CFD với công nghệ và tốc độ tốt hơn IC Markets Đăng ký Undo ASKAP J1832-0911 was initially detected via radio signals by the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP), operated by CSIRO on Wajarri Yamaji Country. By sheer coincidence, NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory happened to be surveying the same region of sky at the same time, enabling astronomers to match the radio pulses with bursts of X-ray radiation. 'Discovering that ASKAP J1832-0911 was emitting X-rays felt like finding a needle in a haystack,' said Dr Wang. 'The ASKAP telescope has a broad view of the sky, but Chandra focuses on a much smaller region, so the overlap was a matter of great fortune.' Since the first LPT was discovered in 2022, around ten more have been identified. But none has demonstrated behaviour as intense and regular as ASKAP J1832-0911. New Physics on the horizon? Astronomers suspect ASKAP J1832-0911 could be either an ageing magnetar a type of dead star with extremely strong magnetic fields or a binary system containing a magnetised white dwarf, the remnant of a low-mass star. 'ASKAP J1831-0911 could be a magnetar, or it could be a pair of stars in a binary system where one is a highly magnetised white dwarf,' Wang explained. 'However, even those theories do not fully explain what we are observing. This discovery could indicate a new type of physics or new models of stellar evolution.' A doorway to more discoveries According to Professor Nanda Rea from the Institute of Space Science (ICE-CSIC) and the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC), the discovery suggests ASKAP J1832-0911 may be the first of many similar objects. 'Finding one such object hints at the existence of many more,' Rea said. 'The discovery of its transient X-ray emission opens fresh insights into their mysterious nature.'
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Something is flashing at us from space – and scientists have no idea what it is
Scientists have been left stunned by a mysterious, regular signal that is flashing at us from deep in space. The new type of cosmic phenomenon has only become more mysterious with further examination, scientists say. The object in question is 15,000 light years from Earth and is known as ASKAP J1832-0911. It sends out pulses of radio waves and X-rays on a regular schedule: for two minutes, every 44 minutes. It was found with an Australian telescope that spotted radio signals coming from a specific part of space. Nasa's Chandra X-ray Observatory was coincidentally looking at that same part of space – and found that the object was emitting X-rays as well as radio pulses. It is the first time that one of these mysterious objects, known as an LPT, has been spotted sending out X-rays as well as radio signals. The researchers on a new study say that the object is 'unlike anything we have seen before' and that it could be an unknown kind of object or even a new type of physics. LPTs, or long-period transients, were first found in 2022, and researchers have spotted ten of them since. They send out radio pulses in regular bursts that are minutes or hours apart. ASKAP J1832 is not only unusual for its X-ray behaviour, however. Over the months they watched it, scientists also noted that the X-rays and radio waves dropped off – something they have never seen before in our Milky Way galaxy. Researchers don't know what the object at the heart of them might be. There is no explanation for either what the signal is or why it is flashing in such a regular way. 'This object is unlike anything we have seen before,' Dr Ziteng Wang from Curtin University. 'ASKAP J1831-0911 could be a magnetar (the core of a dead star with powerful magnetic fields), or it could be a pair of stars in a binary system where one of the two is a highly magnetised white dwarf (a low-mass star at the end of its evolution).' 'However, even those theories do not fully explain what we are observing. This discovery could indicate a new type of physics or new models of stellar evolution.' Scientists hope that the discovery that the object is emitting X-rays too could help give some insight on where the signals are coming from and how they work. 'We will continue to hunt for clues about what is happening with this object, and we'll look for similar objects,' said co-author Dr Tong Bao of the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics ( INAF) – Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera in Italy. 'Finding a mystery like this isn't frustrating – it's what makes science exciting!' The work is reported in a new paper, 'Detection of X-ray Emission from a Bright Long-Period Radio Transient', published in the journal Nature.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Something is flashing at us from space – and scientists have no idea what it is
Scientists have been left stunned by a mysterious, regular signal that is flashing at us from deep in space. The new type of cosmic phenomenon has only become more mysterious with further examination, scientists say. The object in question is 15,000 light years from Earth and is known as ASKAP J1832-0911. It sends out pulses of radio waves and X-rays on a regular schedule: for two minutes, every 44 minutes. It was found with an Australian telescope that spotted radio signals coming from a specific part of space. Nasa's Chandra X-ray Observatory was coincidentally looking at that same part of space – and found that the object was emitting X-rays as well as radio pulses. It is the first time that one of these mysterious objects, known as an LPT, has been spotted sending out X-rays as well as radio signals. The researchers on a new study say that the object is 'unlike anything we have seen before' and that it could be an unknown kind of object or even a new type of physics. LPTs, or long-period transients, were first found in 2022, and researchers have spotted ten of them since. They send out radio pulses in regular bursts that are minutes or hours apart. ASKAP J1832 is not only unusual for its X-ray behaviour, however. Over the months they watched it, scientists also noted that the X-rays and radio waves dropped off – something they have never seen before in our Milky Way galaxy. Researchers don't know what the object at the heart of them might be. There is no explanation for either what the signal is or why it is flashing in such a regular way. 'This object is unlike anything we have seen before,' Dr Ziteng Wang from Curtin University. 'ASKAP J1831-0911 could be a magnetar (the core of a dead star with powerful magnetic fields), or it could be a pair of stars in a binary system where one of the two is a highly magnetised white dwarf (a low-mass star at the end of its evolution).' 'However, even those theories do not fully explain what we are observing. This discovery could indicate a new type of physics or new models of stellar evolution.' Scientists hope that the discovery that the object is emitting X-rays too could help give some insight on where the signals are coming from and how they work. 'We will continue to hunt for clues about what is happening with this object, and we'll look for similar objects,' said co-author Dr Tong Bao of the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics ( INAF) – Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera in Italy. 'Finding a mystery like this isn't frustrating – it's what makes science exciting!' The work is reported in a new paper, 'Detection of X-ray Emission from a Bright Long-Period Radio Transient', published in the journal Nature.
