Mysterious Star Emits Radio Waves and X-Rays With Unprecedented Behavior in the Milky Way

Written by Fabio Lucas Carvalho

Published on 02/06/2025 at 10:32

Updated on 02/06/2025 at 10:34

Uma composição de emissão de rádio, raios X e infravermelho do campo de ASKAP J1832-0911. Crédito da imagem: Wang et al ., doi: 10.1038/s41586-025-09077-w.

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Celestial Object 15,000 Light-Years Away Intrigues Astronomers by Emitting Unprecedented Regular Radio and X-Ray Pulses in the Milky Way.

Astronomers are facing a rare and intriguing phenomenon. A star located about 15,000 light-years from Earth, in the constellation Scutum, exhibits behavior that surprises scientists. Named ASKAP J1832-0911, it emits radio and X-ray pulses in an extremely peculiar manner.

Discovery with Radio Telescope in Australia

The detection of ASKAP J1832-0911 was made using the ASKAP radio telescope in Australia. It belongs to a category called long-period radio transients.

These objects were identified for the first time in 2022 and are characterized by emitting radio waves with regular variations over tens of minutes.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

Unprecedented Signals in X-Rays

In addition to the radio waves, researchers used NASA’s Chandra X-Ray Observatory and identified something even more surprising. For the first time, a long-period radio transient showed regular variations in X-rays as well, with the same 44-minute cycle.

Dr. Wang highlights the novelty of the discovery: “Astronomers have observed countless stars with all kinds of telescopes, and we have never seen one behave this way. It is exciting to see a new type of behavior for stars.”

Variations Over Months

Analyses continued with the combined use of Chandra and SKA Pathfinder. Scientists noted that, over a period of six months, there was a sharp decline in both X-ray and radio emissions. This combination of regular 44-minute cycles and variations extending over months is unprecedented in the Milky Way.

The team is now seeking to understand whether the behavior of ASKAP J1832-0911 is typical for long-period radio transients or represents a unique case within this still-recent category in astronomy.

Possible Explanations for the Phenomenon

Several hypotheses are being considered by scientists. Dr. Nanda Rea from the Institute of Space Sciences in Barcelona comments: “We are observing several different possibilities involving neutron stars and white dwarfs, either isolated or with companion stars. So far, nothing matches exactly, but some ideas work better than others.”

Researchers dismiss the idea that ASKAP J1832-0911 is a classical pulsar or a neutron star capturing material from a companion, as its properties do not coincide with the typical emissions of such objects.

One of the possibilities considered is that it may be a magnetar, a neutron star with an extremely strong magnetic field, older than 500,000 years.

However, the brightness and variability of the radio emission make this hypothesis difficult to confirm for such an old magnetar.

Association with Supernova Discounted

In the sky, ASKAP J1832-0911 appears visually within a supernova remnant. Normally, these regions contain a neutron star formed after the stellar explosion.

However, scientists have determined that the proximity is merely apparent and that there is no physical connection between the two. This leads the team to explore other possibilities that do not involve a neutron star.

Extreme Hypothesis with White Dwarf

Researchers also consider that a white dwarf with a companion star may be responsible for the observed signals. However, this would require an extremely high magnetic field — the strongest ever recorded for a white dwarf in our galaxy.

Mystery that Fuels Science

Dr. Tong Bao from the Italian National Institute of Astrophysics (INAF) summarizes the spirit of the investigation: “We will continue searching for clues about what is happening with this object and look for similar objects. Discovering a mystery like this is not frustrating — it’s what makes science exciting!”

Article published in the journal Nature.

Mysterious Star Emits Radio Waves and X-Rays With Unprecedented Behavior in the Milky Way

Celestial Object 15,000 Light-Years Away Intrigues Astronomers by Emitting Unprecedented Regular Radio and X-Ray Pulses in the Milky Way.

Discovery with Radio Telescope in Australia

Unprecedented Signals in X-Rays

Variations Over Months

Possible Explanations for the Phenomenon

Association with Supernova Discounted

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Mysterious Star Emits Radio Waves and X-Rays With Unprecedented Behavior in the Milky Way

Celestial Object 15,000 Light-Years Away Intrigues Astronomers by Emitting Unprecedented Regular Radio and X-Ray Pulses in the Milky Way.

Discovery with Radio Telescope in Australia

Unprecedented Signals in X-Rays

Variations Over Months

Possible Explanations for the Phenomenon

Association with Supernova Discounted

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