Space & Astronomy

Mysterious source has been sending signals to Earth for decades

By T.K. Randall
July 22, 2023

Image: Artist's Illustration of a Neutron Star
Credit: Casey Reed - Penn State University / (PD) NASA There's something strange out in space and it has been sending signals in our direction for the past 35 years that do not seem to conform to any known astronomical phenomenon.

The object, whatever it is, sends out blasts of energy every 20 minutes that vary in brightness.

While this is similar to what astronomers might expect to see from fast radio bursts or pulsars, neither of these possibilities fit what is being observed from GPMJ1839-10.If it is a pulsar, then it is operating in a way thought to be impossible.

Similar doubts have been cast on the idea that the object could be a type of highly magnetized white dwarf star (or magnetar) as its signals are unlike any others observed to date.

GPMJ1839-10 was first picked up some 35 years ago, but it had gone unnoticed and it wasn't until recently that astronomers fully realized the data's significance.

The search for other examples of the same phenomenon could also help to reveal more clues.

Source: Independent

Tags: Earth, Radio Signal