Simply 4,000 light-years from Earth is an unusual, star-sized object. Its been observed by radio telescopes, however astronomers arent sure what it is. They call it an extended period short-term.
Transients are items in the sky that alter over some duration of time. About every 18 minutes, it becomes one of the brightest radio objects in the sky, with its flash lasting anywhere from half a 2nd to almost a minute. One concept is that the item is a hypothetical things known as an ultra-long period magnetar. Another concept is that the object is an odd type of white dwarf, but it isnt clear how a white dwarf could end up being so radio bright.
The radio light we see from the item is highly polarized.
Transients are objects in the sky that alter over some period of time. Sluggish transients are items such as supernovae, which grow to extreme brightness over days or months. About every 18 minutes, it ends up being one of the brightest radio objects in the sky, with its flash lasting anywhere from half a 2nd to almost a minute.
One concept is that the things is a hypothetical object known as an ultra-long period magnetar. The issue with this idea is that astronomers have believed ultra-long duration magnetars wouldnt be almost so brilliant. Another idea is that the things is an odd type of white dwarf, but it isnt clear how a white dwarf could become so radio intense.
An artist view of the item as a magnetar. Credit: ICRAR
Based upon observations, we do understand the object has an intense magnetic field. The radio light we see from the item is extremely polarized. Charged particles give off extremely polarized light when they communicate with a strong electromagnetic field. We also understand the transient cant just be a standard pulsar effect. Because their rotation sweeps a beam of extreme radio light throughout the sky, Pulsars release regular flashes. We see a radio flash whenever the beam sweeps our way, comparable to the flash of a lighthouse. This things would flash about every 18 minutes, however these flashes would only happen over the course of a couple of hours. The team saw the item shift in between active and peaceful durations during their observation runs. So some weird happenings are going on.
Of course, the most interesting concept is that the short-term things is something we do not anticipate. The group is searching for comparable things in order to fix the secret they never anticipated to discover.
Referral: Hurley-Walker, N., et al. “A Radio Transit with Unusually Slow Periodic Emission.” Nature 601 (2022 ): 526-530.
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