 Astronomers may have uncovered the secret behind a mysterious object that intermittently disappears and reappears 15,000 light-years away. The strange celestial body was found emitting radio waves every 22 minutes – a much longer gap than seen in similar objects, such as pulsars or magnetars, the ghostly remnants of dead stars. All known magnetars release energy at intervals ranging from a few seconds to a few minutes. However, an international team led by astronomers from the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) believes the new object, 15,000 light-years away, could be a rare type of magnetar – challenging our understanding of the physics of neutron stars. They suggest it could be an ultra-long period magnetar, a rare type of star with extremely strong magnetic fields that can produce powerful bursts of energy Astronomers discovered the object using the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA), a radio telescope on Wajarri Yamaji Country in outback Western Australia. Similar to black holes, neutron stars are formed when a massive star runs out of fuel and collapses. The main difference is that a neutron star has a hard surface, unlike that of a black hole. The magnetar was discovered by the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) radio telescope, with a host of other facilities around the globe joining in to confirm the discovery and study the object (Picture:ICRAR) Lead author Dr Natasha Hurley-Walker said the magnetar, named GPM J1839−10, is found in the Scutum constellation. 'This remarkable object challenges our understanding of neutron stars and magnetars, which are some of the most exotic and extreme objects in the Universe,' she said. The stellar object is only the second of its kind ever detected. The first was discovered by Curtin University undergraduate research student Tyrone O'Doherty. Initially, scientists could not explain what they had found. They publishe){kind=link}
NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
Astronomers may have uncovered the secret behind a mysterious object that intermittently disappears and reappears 15,000 light-years away.
The strange celestial body was found emitting radio waves every 22 minutes – a much longer gap than seen in similar objects, such as pulsars or magnetars, the ghostly remnants of dead stars. All known magnetars release energy at intervals ranging from a few seconds to a few minutes.
However, an international team led by astronomers from the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) believes the new object, 15,000 light-years away, could be a rare type of magnetar – challenging our understanding of the physics of neutron stars.
They suggest it could be an ultra-long period magnetar, a rare type of star with extremely strong magnetic fields that can produce powerful bursts of energy