An international team of astronomers has detected a mysterious object in deep space that regularly sends out two-minute pulses of radio waves and X-rays in a repeating pattern every 44 minutes.
Repeating Patterns from a Mysterious Object According to an ICRAR statement, the research team first spotted ASKAP J1832-0911 with the ASKAP radio telescope in Australia.
When they noticed the object was emitting bursts of radio waves in a regular repeating pattern, they weren’t sure what the object was.
When the ASKAP radio telescope was detecting bursts of radio waves, Chandra saw identically timed two-minute bursts of X-rays that also repeated every 44 minutes.
“The ASKAP radio telescope has a wide field view of the night sky, while Chandra observes only a fraction of it,” he explained.
Astronomers from all over the world have discovered a mystery object in deep space that periodically emits two-minute radio wave and X-ray pulses in a repeating pattern every forty-four minutes.
Known as ASKAP J1832-0911, the enigmatic object has baffled scientists with its peculiar X-ray and radio wave combination as well as its tendency to “switch on” and “switch off” at such regular and synchronized intervals.
The lead author of the study describing the team’s discovery, Dr. Ziteng (Andy) Wang of the Curtin University node of the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), stated, “This object is unlike anything we have seen before.”.
Patterns Repeated by an Unidentified Object.
Using the ASKAP radio telescope in Australia, the research team made the initial detection of ASKAP J1832-0911, according to an ICRAR statement. They were unsure of what the object was when they noticed that it was regularly repeating bursts of radio waves. Their first instinct was to categorize the source of the signal as one of a small number of enigmatic objects that had been previously discovered and were releasing radio waves in a pattern known as long-period transients (LPTs).
The team learned that NASA’s Chandra X-ray observatory had coincidentally observed the same area of the sky at the same time of the mystery object’s classification. Chandra observed identically timed two-minute bursts of X-rays that also repeated every 44 minutes while the ASKAP radio telescope was picking up radio wave bursts. Wang said that since none of the ten prior examples generated X-rays, detecting X-rays from a possible LPT “felt like finding a needle in a haystack.”.
“Chandra only observes a portion of the night sky, whereas the ASKAP radio telescope has a wide field view,” he said. Chandra’s simultaneous observations of the same region of the night sky were therefore fortunate. “”.
The discovery may point to a new kind of physics.
The astronomers conclude that since any theory “must account for” the distinctions between radio waves and much higher-energy radio waves, they can now search for this “valuable clue” of simultaneous radio waves and x-ray emissions when searching for possible LPT signals.
According to the study’s second author, Professor Nanda Rea of the Catalan Institute for Space Studies (IEEC) and the Institute of Space Science (ICE-CSIC) in Spain, looking for both signals may also increase the likelihood of finding the object and provide additional information that could help unravel its mystery.
Rea remarked, “The discovery of one such object suggests the existence of numerous others.”. New information about their enigmatic nature is revealed by the discovery of their transient X-ray emission. “”.
Wang points out that a magnetar or a binary star system with a single highly magnetized white dwarf are two theories that have been given. He adds, though, that these theories are insufficient and “do not fully explain what we are observing” in relation to the recently discovered enigmatic object that is repeatingly emitting X-rays and radio waves.
Wang stated, “This finding may point to a new kind of physics or new models of stellar evolution.”.
