Latest news with #ASKAPJ1832-0911
New York Post
3 hours ago
- Science
- New York Post
Astronomers baffled by mystery object flashing signals at Earth every 44 minutes: ‘Like nothing we've ever seen'
The truth is out there. Astronomers say they're stunned by an unidentified object flashing strange signals from deep space. The object, named ASKAP J1832-0911, was detected by the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) and NASA'S Chandra X-ray observatory — the world's most powerful X-ray telescope. 'It is unlike anything we have seen before,' Andy Wang, an astronomer at Curtin University in Perth, Australia, declared in a statement published this week. ASKAP J1832-0911 emits pulses of radio waves and X-rays for two minutes every 44 minutes, according to the experts, who documented their findings in Nature journal. An image of the sky showing the region around ASKAP J1832-0911. Ziteng Wang, ICRAR ASKAP J1832-0911 has been classified as a 'long-period transient' or 'LPT' — a cosmic body that emits radio pulses separated by a few minutes or a few hours. Wang and has team theorize that the object could be a dead star, but they don't know why it 'switches on' and 'switches off' at 'long, regular and unusual intervals,' reports. '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),' Wang wrote. 'However, even those theories do not fully explain what we are observing,' he added. 'This discovery could indicate a new type of physics or new models of stellar evolution.' Wang and his team hope to detect similar another using radio waves and the Chandra X-ray observatory, saying a subsequent discovery will help them learn more about the nature of such LPTs. An artist's illustration of NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory in space. NASA/CXC & J. Vaughan, NASA/CXC & J. Vaughan It's not the only space discovery to hit headlines and spark conversation in recent weeks. Earlier this month, Cambridge University Press revealed that astronomers had detected a signal extracted from interstellar noise that could be a sign of active biology on another planet. 'Astronomers have detected the most promising signs yet of a possible biosignature outside the solar system, although they remain cautious,' a press release from the prestigious publisher read.
Indian Express
8 hours ago
- Science
- Indian Express
Scientists baffled by unknown space object that emits X-ray and radio waves every 44 minutes
Scientists have discovered a strange object in space, which they say behaves 'like no other seen before.' Located in the Milky Way, around 15,000 light years away from Earth, the mysterious object ASKAP J1832-0911 is sending pulses of radio waves and X-rays for two minutes straight every 44 minutes. First discovered by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, ASKAP J1832-0911 belongs to a class of objects called 'long period radio transients' (also known as LPT), which emit intense radio waves over tens of minutes. NASA says that these waves are thousands of times longer than the length of repeated variations seen in pulsars, which are rapidly spinning neutron stars. According to team leader and Curtin University researcher Zieng (Andy) Wang, 'Discovering that ASKAP J1832-0911 was emitting X-rays felt like finding a needle in a haystack. The ASKAP radio telescope has a wide field view of the night sky, while Chandra observes only a fraction of it. So, it was fortunate that Chandra observed the same area of the night sky at the same time.' Discovered in 2022, LPTs are cosmic bodies that emit radio pulses every few minutes or hours. In the last few years, astronomers have come across 10 LPTs, but say that ASKAP J1832-0911 is unlike any other. Using Chandra, scientists have discovered that ASKAP J1832-0911 also emits 'regularly varying' X-rays every 44 minutes, making it the first long-period radio transient object to do so. As of now, there is no explanation as to how or why LPTs generate these signals and why they 'switch on' and 'switch off' at long, regular and irregular intervals. However, researchers believe that ASKAP J1832-0911 is a dead star, but don't know what type it is. Some say that it could be a magnetar, which is the core of a dead star, while others assume that it could be a pair of stars where one of the two is a highly magnetised dwarf.
Time of India
a day 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
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Astronomers find startling pulsing object in Milky Way: 'Unlike anything we have seen'
Astronomers recently discovered a never-before-seen celestial phenomenon hiding in our own cosmic backyard. The mystery object, located just a short 15,000 light-years from Earth in our Milky Way galaxy, revealed itself to an international team of scientists when it was observed emitting startling pulses. What made the pulses puzzling to the astronomers was that they came in the form of both radio waves and X-rays. Most intriguing: the cycle occurred like clockwork for two minutes at a time every 44 minutes. The discovery marks the first time that such objects, called long-period transients, have been detected in X-rays, the team said in a press release announcing the findings. 'This object is unlike anything we have seen before,' Ziteng Andy Wang, an astronomer at Curtin University in Australia who led the research, said in a statement. The objects, which emit radio pulses occurring minutes or hours apart, are a relatively recent discovery – with just 10 being identified since 2022, the team said. While astronomers are so far unable to explain the origin of the mystifying signals and why they occur at unusual intervals, the team hopes their findings provide some insights. Milky Way photos: Stunning images of our galaxy making itself visible around the globe The Milky Way is our home galaxy with a disc of stars that spans more than 100,000 light-years. Because it appears as a rotating disc curving out from a dense central region, the Milky Way is known as a spiral galaxy. Our planet itself is located along one of the galaxy's spiral arms, about halfway from the center, according to NASA. The Milky Way sits in a cosmic neighborhood called the Local Group that includes more than 50 other galaxies. Those galaxies can be as small as a dwarf galaxy with up to only a few billion stars, or as large as Andromeda, our nearest large galactic neighbor. The Milky Way got its name because from our perspective on Earth, it appears as a faint band of light stretching across the entire sky. The team discovered the object, known as ASKAP J1832-0911, in the Milky Way by using a radio telescope in Australia. The astronomers, all from the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research, then correlated the radio signals with X-ray pulses detected by NASA's space telescope, the Chandra X-ray Observatory. The Australian radio telescope has a wide field view of the night sky, while Chandra observes only a fraction of it. For that reason, the astronomers say it was fortunate that Chandra was coincidentally observing the same area of the night sky at the same time. 'Discovering that ASKAP J1832-0911 was emitting X-rays felt like finding a needle in a haystack,' Wang said in a statement. Astronomy: Fast radio burst detected in 'dead' galaxy raises questions about mysterious signals It's possible the celestial object could be the core of a dead star, known as a magnetar. With their extremely strong magnetic fields, these neutron stars – small, dense collapsed cores of supergiant stars – are capable of producing the powerful bursts of energy that have been observed for years. The object could also be a pair of stars in a binary system in which one of them is a highly-magnetized white dwarf star at the end of its evolution, the team said. But Wang cautioned that neither of those theories fully explains what his team observed. "This discovery could indicate a new type of physics or new models of stellar evolution," Wang said in a statement. Fortunately, finding one object using both X-rays and radio waves hints at the existence of many more, according to the researchers. The findings were published Wednesday, May 28, in the journal Nature. Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@ This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Strange pulsing object spotted in Milky Way: Here's what it could be
NDTV
a day ago
- Science
- NDTV
Astronomers Baffled By Mysterious Object Emitting X-Rays And Radio Waves In Milky Way
Astronomers have stumbled upon a perplexing celestial enigma within our very own Milky Way galaxy. An international team of researchers has reported the discovery of a peculiar object exhibiting a unique behaviour: emitting X-rays in sync with bursts of radio waves, all in a repeating cycle of approximately 44 minutes. According to the study published in the journal Nature, this unprecedented observation has led scientists to classify the object as unlike any known entity within our galaxy. Located 15,000 light-years away in a star-rich region of the Milky Way, this enigmatic object, dubbed ASKAP J1832-0911, could potentially be a highly magnetised remnant of a dead star, such as a neutron star or white dwarf. However, the possibility of it being an entirely new and exotic phenomenon remains on the table. View this post on Instagram A post shared by NASA Chandra X-ray Observatory (@nasachandraxray) "This object is unlike anything we have seen before," team leader and Curtin University researcher Zieng (Andy) Wang said in a statement. The serendipitous discovery occurred during a routine observation of a supernova remnant by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. Researchers were taken aback when they detected X-ray emissions emanating from the same source as previously observed long-period radio transients, which are rare objects that cycle through radio signals over extended periods. The correlation between the X-ray and radio wave emissions, coupled with other unusual characteristics, has deepened the mystery surrounding ASKAP J1832-0911. The object's hyperactive phase, during which it emits noticeable X-rays, appears to last for about a month, followed by a period of quiescence. This intermittent behavior suggests that similar objects might be lurking undetected in other parts of the galaxy, waiting to be discovered. While astronomers have pinpointed the object's location, its association with the nearby supernova remnant remains uncertain due to the vast distances involved. Further investigations are underway to unravel the true nature of ASKAP J1832-0911 and to explore the possibility of uncovering more of these enigmatic objects scattered across the cosmos.
