Latest news with #AustralianSquareKilometreArrayPathfinder
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.
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
'One of the most geometrically perfect': What is this mysterious sphere deep in the Milky Way galaxy?
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. There's no shortage of round celestial objects in our universe. Planets, moons and stars all exhibit lovely spherical shapes. But astronomers recently spotted a mysteriously circular orb deep in the Milky Way galaxy — and it's certainly none of these things. This celestial bubble, discovered by astrophysicist Miroslav Filipović of Western Sydney University, is likely a supernova remnant (SNR), an expanding shell of gas and dust formed by shockwaves from a massive stellar explosion. SNRs aren't uncommon, but this particular example showcases numerous anomalies, including its astonishingly round shape. For that shape, Filipović and his team named SNR Teleios, the Greek word for "perfect." Filipović discovered Teleios — officially designated G305.4–2.2 — by accident, scanning through new images taken by the radio telescope Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP). ASKAP is currently surveying the entire southern hemisphere sky. "I was looking at these images as they became available, searching for anything interesting, or not seen before, and came across Teleios," Filipović told "Its perfectly circular shape was unusual, and so I investigated further." Using data from ASKAP and the Murchison Widefield Array, Filipović and his team estimate that Teleios spans either about 46 light-years across at a distance of about 7,175 light-years from Earth, or about 157 light-years across at a distance of about 25,114 light-years from Earth. (Judging such vast distances in space is difficult.) Regardless of the size and distance of Teleios, though, the SNR's near-perfect symmetry is extraordinary. Its shape was quantified with a circularity score of 95.4%, placing it among the most symmetric known SNRs. While idealized models suggest SNRs remnants should be circular, reality often paints a more chaotic picture. "'Typical' SNR shapes vary dramatically, either from asymmetries in the initial explosion, or disruption from expanding into a non-perfect environment, or a number of other interfering factors," says Filipović. "What makes Teleios' shape so remarkable is that it displays none of these asymmetries; it effectively looks like an explosion that has happened with almost perfect initial parameters and with almost no disruption while expanding." So, what could explain such an undisturbed evolution? According to Filipović, it likely comes down to location. Teleios lies 2.2 degrees below the Galactic Plane, where interstellar gas and dust are significantly more sparse. This environment may have allowed the remnant to expand while remaining largely undisturbed for thousands of years. Teleios' shape is only one of the unusual characteristics of this SNR. Adding to the mystery, Teleios emits only in radio wavelengths, with a hint of hydrogen-alpha emissions. "Most SNRs are visible at another frequency. They either emit at optical, infrared, or X-ray frequencies as well," says Filipović. "The fact that we don't see that here is quite confusing. It could be that the temperatures are not high enough to produce this emission, or that Teleios is old enough that the optical emission has faded, but the radio emission is still present." Related Stories: — Hundreds of supernova remnants remain hidden in our galaxy. These astronomers want to find them— Mysterious cosmic lights turn out to be 2 undiscovered supernova remnants— Watch 2 gorgeous supernova remnants evolve over 20 years (timelapse video) This lack of emissions poses challenges to determining the type of supernova that produced Teleios. The most likely scenario is a Type Ia supernova, which occurs in binary star systems in which a white dwarf consumes enough mass of its companion star to explode violently. Alternatively, Teleios' origin might be Type Iax supernova, which is similar to a Type Ia supernova but one that leaves behind a "zombie" star. But Teleios's observable data doesn't fit either model perfectly. As it goes with newfound objects in the universe, researchers have a lot more to study to unravel all of Teleios's mysteries. Fortunately, there's no better time to study SNRs. "These are the 'golden days' for radio astronomy as the new instruments, such as ASKAP and MeerKAT, are opening windows for new discoveries," says Filipović. A paper on the findings has been submitted to the Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia, and is presently available on preprint server arXiv.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
'Unlike anything we have seen before': Astronomers discover mysterious object firing strange signals at Earth every 44 minutes
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Astronomers have discovered a mysterious object flashing strange signals from deep space, and they have no idea what it is. The object, named ASKAP J1832-0911, spits out pulses of radio waves and X-rays for two minutes straight, once every 44 minutes. Detected by Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) and NASA's Chandra X-ray observatory, the strange repeating signals are currently unexplained — and unravelling this cosmic mystery could reveal new physics, according to the researchers who discovered it. The team published their findings May 28 in the journal Nature. "This object is unlike anything we have seen before," lead study author Andy Wang, an astronomer at Curtin University in Perth, Australia, said in a statement. "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," Wang added. "This discovery could indicate a new type of physics or new models of stellar evolution." ASKAP J1832-0911 is a long-period transient (LPT), a class of rare and extreme astrophysical events that sweep out beams of radio waves like cosmic lighthouses. First discovered in 2022, thus far ten LPTs have been catalogued by astronomers. Related: 'Cosmic cannonballs' exploding out of dead star could explain mysterious flicker in the night sky Unlike traditional pulsars, which are produced by neutron stars and spit out radio signals every few seconds or milliseconds, LPTs emit pulses at intervals of minutes or hours apart — a period previously thought to be impossible. This has made the cause of the signals, and how they are able to switch on and off at long and regular intervals, a mystery among astronomers. After discovering the signals using the ASKAP telescope, the researchers turned to the Chandra X-ray observatory (which was coincidentally pointing at the same patch of sky) to double check what they had found. Chandra's observations confirmed ASKAP J1832-0911's presence, while also making the first-ever detection of an LPT in X-rays. RELATED STORIES —Immensely powerful 'magnetar' is emitting wobbly radio signals in our galaxy — and scientists can't explain them —Strange radio bursts that outshine entire galaxies may come from colliding neutron stars —Faint radio signal from ancient star cluster could be rare 'missing link' black hole "Discovering that ASKAP J1832-0911 was emitting X-rays felt like finding a needle in a haystack," Wang said. "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." The astronomers believe that the detection of an LPT emitting radio waves and X-rays simultaneously could offer them a valuable clue as to what's producing them, as any theory that explains the object must now account for both types of emission. To assemble more of the puzzle, the researchers suggest that more detections using radio and X-ray telescope pairs should be made. "Finding one such object hints at the existence of many more," second author Nanda Rea, an astrophysicist at the Catalan Institute for Space Studies in Spain, said in the statement. "The discovery of its transient X-ray emission opens fresh insights into their mysterious nature."
Time of India
3 days ago
- Science
- Time of India
Mysterious object found in Milky Way works like an X-ray machine, sends signals every 44 minutes
A mysterious object in our galaxy is sending powerful signals into space every 44 minutes, and scientists are still trying to figure out what it is. The object, designated as ASKAP J1935+2148, was discovered by chance and has behavior unlike anything seen before. The discovery is exciting and puzzling because it doesn't match the known patterns of any existing space object. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Buy Brass Idols - Handmade Brass Statues for Home & Gifting Luxeartisanship Buy Now Undo Also Read: Bigger than 5,000 Suns; here's why this massive near-earth space cloud remained hidden till now? A Chance Discovery Live Events The object was first detected in 2023 using Australia's ASKAP (Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder) radio telescope. It was observed while scientists were looking at something else entirely, a supernova remnant. A supernova remnant is the structure resulting from the explosion of a star in a supernova. Soon after, NASA 's Chandra X-ray Observatory picked up X-rays from the same sky spot. The two telescopes working together confirmed that the object was emitting both X-rays and radio waves in sync every 44 minutes, lasting for a few minutes each time. This pattern of emissions makes it the first known example of a "long-period transient" emitting in both radio and X-ray wavelengths. What could it be? So far, scientists believe it could be a type of dead star, such as a neutron star or a white dwarf. These stars remain after larger stars explode or collapse. But this one is strange; it behaves like nothing else in its category. Neutron stars usually spin fast and send out bursts every few seconds or milliseconds. This object is slow but emits X-rays in 44 minutes, making it unique. It's too slow to be a typical pulsar but too active to be considered completely dormant. Some astronomers think it may represent a new type of magnetar , a neutron star with a powerful magnetic field. Others believe it could be entirely new and not yet classified by scientists. 15,000 light-years away The mysterious object is located about 15,000 light-years from Earth, within the Milky Way galaxy . That's relatively close in space terms, especially considering the galaxy spans 100,000 light-years. It lies in a dense part of the galaxy filled with gas, dust, and other stars, which makes it hard to observe in detail. However, its powerful and periodic signals reach us loud and clear. Why it matters This discovery is important because it challenges our knowledge of dead stars and cosmic signals. Astronomers have studied stars for decades, but this object doesn't fit existing theories. 'If it's a neutron star, it's unlike any we've ever seen,' said Ziteng Wang, lead author of the research from Curtin University in Australia. It also shows that even well-known parts of space can surprise us. Also Read: 300 years after alchemy failed, CERN scientists finally turn lead into gold Scientists plan to use different telescopes to observe ASKAP J1935+2148 closely. They hope to learn more about how it works and what it's made of. As new telescopes like the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) come online in the next few years, researchers may discover more objects like this, and maybe even explain what they are. For now, this strange X-ray emitting thing remains one of the most mysterious objects in our galaxy. FAQs Why is it called the Milky Way? The Milky Way is named for its milky white appearance as a dim band of light across the night sky, caused by countless distant stars. Its name comes from a Greek myth where the goddess Hera's spilled milk formed this glowing band. Where is our location in the Milky Way? Our Solar System, including Earth, is located about 26,000 to 27,000 light-years from the Milky Way's center, situated on the inner edge of the Orion Arm (also called the Orion Spur ), a minor spiral arm between the larger Sagittarius and Perseus arms. How many galaxies are there in the Milky Way? The Milky Way is a single galaxy and does not contain other galaxies within it. However, it has about 100 to 400 billion stars and is part of the Local Group, which includes over 50 galaxies, such as the Andromeda and Triangulum galaxies.
