Astronomers Trace Mysterious Space Radio Bursts to Binary Star System

Researchers identify a red dwarf and white dwarf pairing as the source of long-period radio signals, solving a cosmic mystery.

Scientists have pinpointed the origin of long-period radio bursts to a binary star system featuring a red dwarf and a white dwarf.
The signals, first detected in 2022, repeat over unusually long intervals, defying typical pulsar behavior and prompting new investigations into their cause.
The red dwarf emits stellar wind, which interacts with the white dwarf's magnetic field to generate the observed radio waves.
The discovery was made using radio telescopes in Australia and South Africa, enabling precise tracking of the signal's source in the Puppis constellation.
This finding adds to the growing catalog of long-period radio transients and raises questions about the diversity of systems capable of producing such emissions.