Space Radio Signal Repeats Hourly, Defying Explanation

Astronomers Detect Unusual Hourly Radio Signal from Space

Astronomers have detected a highly unusual radio signal from space that repeats every hour, cycling through three distinct states. Despite some hypotheses about its origin, it remains unexplained by current physics.

Detected by the ASKAP radio telescope in Australia, the signal, named ASKAP J1935+2148, repeats every 53.8 minutes.

The signal has three different states: bright flashes lasting 10-50 seconds with linear polarization, weaker pulses with circular polarization lasting 370 milliseconds, and periods of silence.

Distinct Emission States

“This object displays three distinct emission states with entirely different properties,” said Dr. Manisha Caleb, lead author of the study. The MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa helped distinguish these states, confirming they come from the same point in the sky.

The most likely source is a neutron star or a white dwarf, though their known physics don’t fully explain the signal’s properties.

Neutron stars and white dwarfs, both remnants of larger stars, have key differences. Neutron stars typically emit regular radio waves, potentially from interactions between magnetic fields and plasma flows. However, their rapid spin rates make the 54-minute cycle puzzling. White dwarfs could spin that slowly but aren’t known to produce such radio signals.

The Ongoing Mystery

Previous repeating radio signals, such as one on an 18-minute loop, have also baffled scientists. This new signal, with its longer and more complex cycle, adds to the mystery.

Further observations are needed to determine if the signal comes from an unusual neutron star, an elusive “white dwarf pulsar,” or another source entirely. It may challenge our understanding of neutron stars and white dwarfs, their radio emissions, and their populations in the Milky Way, according to Caleb.

Read the original article on: New Atlas

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