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15h ago

Astronomers detect Milky Way object pulsing in radio and X-rays every 44 minutes

Its simultaneous pulses across two wavelengths challenge current theories, suggesting a new class of cosmic phenomena.

An image of the sky shows the region around ASKAP J1832-0911. X-ray observations are from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, radio data from the South African MeerKAT radio telescope, and infrared data from NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope.
A wide field composite image shows ASKAP J1832 in X-ray, radio, and infrared light.
The ASKAP radio telescope is seen in Wajarri Yamaji Country in Western Australia.

Overview

  • ASKAP J1832-0911 emits two-minute bursts of radio waves and X-rays every 44 minutes.
  • This source lies about 15,000 light-years away in the Milky Way’s dense Galactic Plane.
  • Discovery relied on Australia’s ASKAP radio telescope coinciding with NASA’s Chandra X-ray observations.
  • The emission intensity dropped by a factor of 1,000 between February and August 2024, revealing dramatic variability.
  • Neither magnetar nor white dwarf binary models fully explain the signals, hinting at new physics and a larger population of long-period transients.