Astronomers Trace Decade-Long Mystery Radio Signals to Unique Star Pair

A red dwarf and white dwarf in a tight binary orbit produce periodic radio pulses, marking the first discovery of such signals from this type of system.

The source of mysterious radio signals detected every two hours for over a decade has been identified near the Big Dipper constellation.
The signals originate from a binary system comprising a red dwarf and a white dwarf star orbiting each other extremely closely, approximately 1,645 light-years from Earth.
The interaction of their magnetic fields during each orbit generates the radio pulses, which differ from previously known fast radio bursts.
This discovery marks the first time long-period radio transients have been traced to a binary star system rather than neutron stars or magnetars.
Researchers plan further studies to analyze the properties of the binary stars and explore potential connections to other unexplained radio phenomena.