JAKARTA - Scientists have managed to find an unidentified object from outer space that has delivered radio signals to Earth regularly since 1988.
According to the international team led by astronomers from kabin University of the International Center for Radio Astronomy Research (IRRAR), the object is a new type of star that challenges scientists' understanding of neutron star physics.
The object, dubbed GPM J1839-10, 15,000 light years from Earth in the constellation Scutum, could be a very long period magnetar, a rare type of star with a very strong magnetic field and could produce an unrivaled burst of energy.
Hingga kini, diketahui semua magnetar yang dikenal melepaskan energi dengan interval mulai dari beberapa detik hingga beberapa menit.
Found using the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA), a radio telescope in the country of Aaliari Yamaji in the interior of Western Australia, the object is quite different.
He emits radio waves every 22 minutes that vary widely in brightness, making it a magnetar with the longest period ever detected.
"This extraordinary object challenges our understanding of neutron stars and magnetars, which are some of the most exotic and extreme objects in the universe," said lead author Dr Natashayang-Walker, quoted from Science Daily, Friday, July 21.
Initially, scientists were unable to explain what type of object the signal had been detected on Earth since at least 1988. They later published a paper in the journal Nature in January 2022 describing a transient object riddled with puzzles.
After examining old records of objects not noticed by those collecting the data, scientists found the source had been repeated for at least 35 years.
This object appears and disappears periodically, emitting strong energy beams three times per hour, "We are confused. So we started looking for similar objects to find out if it was an isolated event or just the tip of the iceberg," saidkodya-Walker.
Between July and September 2022, scientists moved forward to scan the sky using the MWA telescope. Not long after, they found what they were looking for at GPM J1839-10.
The rare star emitted energy bursts that lasted up to five minutes, five times longer than the first object. Other telescopes also follow up to confirm the discovery and study further.
Including three CSIRO radio telescopes in Australia, the MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa, the 10m Grantecan (GTC) telescope, and the XMM-Newton space telescope.
Armed with sky coordinates and characteristics of GPM J1839-10, scientists are also starting to look for archival observations of the world's main radio telescope.
"It appeared in observations by the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) in India, and the Very Large Array (VLA) in the US has had observations since 1988", explained Korya-Walker.
"It was an incredible moment for me. I was five years old when our telescope first recorded a pulse from this object, but no one realized it, and remained hidden in data for 33 years," he added.
They sayyang-Walker, tidak semua magnetar menghasilkan gelombang radio. Beberapa ada di bawah garis kematian, threshold kritis di mana field magnet star menjadi terlalu lemah untuk menghasilkan emisi energi tinggi.
The objects we found rotated too slowly to produce radio waves be below the death line. And we're not just talking about a bit of radio emissions," said SALt-Walker.
Every 22 minutes, it emits a radio long-wavelength energy wave for five minutes, and has been doing so for at least 33 years. Any mechanism behind this is extraordinary," he continued.
The findings are reported in a new paper, "A long-period radio transient active for three decade", published in the journal Nature.
Going forward, scientists plan to make further observations of magnetars to learn about their nature and behavior.
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