Astronomers from the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), in collaboration with international teams, have made a startling discovery about a new type of cosmic phenomenon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The object, known as ASKAP J1832-0911, emits pulses of radio waves and X-rays for two minutes every 44 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is the first time objects like these, called long-period transients (LPTs), have been detected in X-rays. Astronomers hope it may provide insights into the sources of similar mysterious signals observed across the sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The team discovered ASKAP J1832-0911 by using ASKAP radio telescope on Wajarri Country in Australia, owned and operated by Australia\u2019s national science agency, CSIRO. They correlated the radio signals with X-ray pulses detected by NASA\u2019s Chandra X-ray Observatory, which was coincidentally observing the same part of the sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDiscovering that ASKAP J1832-0911 was emitting X-rays felt like finding a needle in a haystack,\u201d said lead author Dr Ziteng (Andy) Wang from the Curtin University node of ICRAR.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe ASKAP radio telescope has a wide field view of the night sky, while Chandra observes only a fraction of it. So, it was fortunate that Chandra observed the same area of the night sky at the same time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
LPTs, which emit radio pulses that occur minutes or hours apart, are a relatively recent discovery. Since their first detection by ICRAR researchers in 2022, ten LPTs have been discovered by astronomers across the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Currently, there is no clear explanation for what causes these signals, or why they \u2018switch on\u2019 and \u2018switch off\u2019 at such long, regular and unusual intervals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis object is unlike anything we have seen before,\u201d Dr Wang said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cASKAP J1831-0911 could be a magnetar (the core of a dead star with powerful magnetic fields), or it could be a pair of stars in a binary system where one of the two is a highly magnetised white dwarf (a low-mass star at the end of its evolution).\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, even those theories do not fully explain what we are observing. This discovery could indicate a new type of physics or new models of stellar evolution.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Detecting these objects using both X-rays and radio waves may help astronomers find more examples and learn more about them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to second author Professor Nanda Rea from the Institute of Space Science (ICE-CSIC) and Catalan institute for Space studies (IEEC) in Spain, \u201cFinding one such object hints at the existence of many more. The discovery of its transient X-ray emission opens fresh insights into their mysterious nature,\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat was also truly remarkable is that this study showcases an incredible teamwork effort, with contributions from researchers across the globe with different and complementary expertise,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The discovery also helps narrow down what the objects might be. Since X-rays are much higher energy than radio waves, any theory must account for both types of emissions \u2013 a valuable clue, given their nature remains a cosmic mystery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n