Latest news with #ChandraObservatory
CBS News
28-05-2025
- General
- CBS News
Mysterious object spotted in our galaxy is emitting X-rays and radio waves, astronomers say
Lead scientist breaks down discovery of possible life on distant planet Astronomers have discovered a strange new object in our Milky Way. An international team reported Wednesday that this celestial object — perhaps a star, pair of stars or something else entirely — is emitting X-rays around the same time it's shooting out radio waves. What's more, the cycle repeats every 44 minutes, at least during periods of extreme activity. X-rays and radio waves are two different types of electromagnetic radiation. The correlation in their emission patterns in this case, along with other mysterious observations, led the study's authors to characterize what they found as "unlike any known Galactic object." Located 15,000 light-years away in a region of the Milky Way brimming with stars, gas and dust, this object could be a highly magnetized dead star like a neutron or white dwarf, Curtin University's Ziteng Andy Wang said in an email from Australia. Or it could be "something exotic" and unknown, said Wang, lead author of the study published in the journal Nature. NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory spotted the X-ray emissions by chance last year while focusing on a supernova remnant, or the remains of an exploded star. Wang said it was the first time X-rays had been seen coming from a so-called long-period radio transient, a rare object that cycles through radio signals over tens of minutes. This image shows X-rays from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory (represented in blue) that have been combined with infrared data from NASA's retired Spitzer Space Telescope (cyan, light blue, teal and orange), and radio from MeerKat (red). An inset shows a more detailed view of the immediate area around this unusual object in X-ray and radio light. NASA/Chandra/Spitzer/MeerKat via AP Given the uncertain distance, astronomers can't tell if the weird object is associated with the supernova remnant or not. A single light-year is 5.8 trillion miles. The hyperactive phase of this object — designated ASKAP J1832−091 — appeared to last about a month. Outside of that period, the star did not emit any noticeable X-rays. That could mean more of these objects may be out there, scientists said. "While our discovery doesn't yet solve the mystery of what these objects are and may even deepen it, studying them brings us closer to two possibilities," Wang said. "Either we are uncovering something entirely new, or we're seeing a known type of object emitting radio and X-ray waves in a way we've never observed before." Launched in 1999, Chandra orbits tens of thousands of miles above Earth, observing some of the hottest, high-energy objects in the universe. It's the world's most powerful X-ray telescope, according to NASA. A description of the telescope on the space agency's website notes that its purpose is to allow scientists across the globe to obtain X-ray images of faraway environments, in hopes that the images may "help them understand the structure and evolution of the universe."
Gizmodo
10-05-2025
- Science
- Gizmodo
Rogue Pulsar Snaps Galactic Bone in Milky Way's Spine
A galactic filament that stretches across 230 light-years in the Milky Way has suffered from a strange kink that has distorted its magnetic field, appearing as a fracture in a massive bone. New X-ray images captured by the Chandra Observatory may have finally helped astronomers diagnose its ailment, naming a fast-spinning neutron star as the culprit. The center of the galaxy is marked by enormous, bone-like structures threaded with parallel magnetic fields and swirling, high-energy particles. Located roughly 26,000 light-years from Earth, G359.13—also known as The Snake—is the longest and brightest of these structures. Despite its size, the bone-like structure appears to have been struck by a fast-moving, rapidly spinning neutron star, or pulsar, causing a break in the otherwise continuous length of G359.13, according to a new paper published in the May 2024 issue of the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. Using images of the galactic bone captured by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and radio data from the MeerKAT radio array in South Africa, the team behind the paper was able to examine the fracture up close to identify the culprit. The particles that make up the Snake, and other galactic filaments, emit radio waves, which can be detected by arrays such as MeerKAT. The images fittingly resemble medical X-rays of a long, thin bone with a fracture in the center. By examining the images, the astronomers discovered an X-ray and radio source at the location of the fracture, which may come from electrons and positrons (the antimatter counterparts to electrons) that have been accelerated to high energies due to a pulsar smashing into them. The pulsar can be seen in the image thanks to its X-ray emissions, which caused it to get caught red-handed in its hit and run. Pulsars are the chaotic remains of stars, forming in the aftermath of the collapse and supernova explosion of a massive star. These explosions often send the pulsar flying at high speeds while rapidly rotating and beaming electromagnetic radiation. There's a lot going on here, and the pulsar isn't exactly watching where it's going. The researchers believe a speedy pulsar may have caused the fracture by smashing into G359.13 at speeds between one million and two million miles per hour. The likely collision distorted the magnetic field in the bone, which caused the radio signal to also become warped. The Milky Way is full of violent encounters like this, and the busted filament is just the latest sign of the galaxy's ongoing chaos. With tools like Chandra and MeerKAT, astronomers are continuing to catch these cosmic troublemakers in the act.
