Latest news with #ZitengAndyWang
Yahoo
19 hours 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
New York Post
2 days ago
- Science
- New York Post
Astronomers discover bizarre celestial object in Milky Way galaxy
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Astronomers have discovered a strange new object in our Milky Way galaxy. 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. 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. AP 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. 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. Launched in 1999, Chandra orbits tens of thousands of miles (kilometers) above Earth, observing some of the hottest, high-energy objects in the universe. NASA/CXC & J. Vaughan / SWNS 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 (kilometers) above Earth, observing some of the hottest, high-energy objects in the universe.
USA Today
2 days ago
- Science
- USA Today
Astronomers find startling pulsing object in Milky Way: 'Unlike anything we have seen'
Astronomers find startling pulsing object in Milky Way: 'Unlike anything we have seen' 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 pulses. 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 What is the Milky Way galaxy? 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. How did astronomers detect strange pulses in Milky Way? 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 What could the pulsing be? 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@
The Mainichi
2 days ago
- Science
- The Mainichi
Astronomers discover strange new celestial object in our Milky Way galaxy
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) -- Astronomers have discovered a strange new object in our Milky Way galaxy. 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. 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. 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 (kilometers) above Earth, observing some of the hottest, high-energy objects in the universe.
Economic Times
2 days ago
- Science
- Economic Times
'Dead star or something new': Mysterious object found in Milky Way emits X-rays and radio waves every 44 minutes
Astronomers have identified ASKAP J1832−091, a peculiar object in the Milky Way, emitting synchronized X-ray and radio waves every 44 minutes. Discovered by chance during Chandra X-ray Observatory observations, its unique behavior challenges existing astrophysical classifications. Researchers suggest it could be a highly magnetized dead star or an entirely new cosmic entity, prompting further investigation into stellar evolution. This image provided by NASA 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. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads A Puzzling Celestial Phenomenon Discovery by Chance Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads What This Means for Astronomy Astronomers have discovered a highly unusual object within the Milky Way that emits both X-rays and radio waves in a synchronized cycle roughly every 44 minutes. The object, named ASKAP J1832−091, was first identified during a period of heightened activity using NASA 's Chandra X-ray Observatory, and its peculiar behavior has scientists J1832−091 is located around 15,000 light-years away in a dense region of the galaxy rich in stars, gas, and dust. What makes this object remarkable is its coordinated emission of X-rays and radio signals in regular bursts—a pattern never observed before in any known Galactic discovery, published in Nature, suggests that ASKAP J1832−091 could be a highly magnetized dead star, such as a neutron star or white dwarf. However, researchers also acknowledge that it may represent an entirely new and exotic class of object, prompting a reexamination of existing astrophysical X-ray signals were detected by chance in 2023, while Chandra was observing a nearby supernova remnant—the remains of an exploded star. During this period, the object entered a hyperactive state that lasted about a month, emitting strong signals before falling silent. Interestingly, it's unclear whether the object is connected to the nearby remnant due to uncertainty in its exact researcher Ziteng Andy Wang from Curtin University called the detection of X-rays from such a long-period radio transient "a first" and a major step forward in understanding these elusive discovery challenges long-standing theories and hints that many more such objects could be lurking undetected in the galaxy. According to Wang, 'We're either witnessing a completely new kind of cosmic object or seeing a known one behave in a way never documented before.'The findings reinforce the importance of space-based observatories like Chandra, which orbits Earth and captures high-energy X-ray emissions from distant cosmic environments. Continued observations of ASKAP J1832−091 and similar objects may offer fresh insights into stellar evolution and the complex dynamics of our plan to monitor this object further using a combination of radio and X-ray telescopes to better understand its nature—and perhaps uncover more like it.
