Strange new radio signals from unknown space region leave scientists baffled | - The Times of India
Strange new radio signals have been detected coming from an
unexplored region of space
, leaving scientists puzzled. These mysterious emissions, unlike anything previously recorded, have prompted immediate attention from researchers eager to understand their origin. While
radio signals from space
are not new, the unusual nature of these signals has raised fresh questions about the universe's many hidden corners. As scientists work to analyze the data, they are left to wonder whether this discovery could offer new insights into the vast, unknown regions of space. This unexpected event is fueling both excitement and curiosity within the scientific community as they explore what these signals might truly signify.
The planet has been receiving periodic radio pulses from a
binary star system
in the Ursa Major constellation 1,600 light-years away for ten years. They come every two hours and have been the subject of curiosity for scientists. The discovery was made in 2024, when Dr. Iris de Ruiter, presently at the University of Sydney, came across them while going through old data obtained by the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR). This huge radio telescope is designed to take low-frequency signals and assist in detecting the enigmatic pulses.
Dr. De Ruiter first discovered a single 2015 pulse but then found additional pulses and discovered an unprecedented, repeating sequence. These signals are produced by an unprecedented cosmic couple—a close-orbiting white dwarf and red dwarf star. Their magnetic fields interact and produce these radio waves, which travel through space, offering tremendous insight into star dynamics and aiding scientists in researching the origins of normal radio radiation in deep space.
The origin of the enigmatic radio pulses, which were observed coming from a binary star system 1,600 light-years away, was traced to a secret white dwarf star orbiting a red dwarf. The red dwarf star alone was initially visible in the data, so it was not known where the radio pulses were originating. But Dr. Kilpatrick and his colleagues detected a clear wobble in the motion of the red dwarf that synchronized with the radio pulses, which led to the detection of the second, buried white dwarf.
The white dwarf, a weak star that usually remains difficult to detect, is responsible for producing the radio waves. Since the two stars revolve around one another tightly, their magnetic fields interact to produce the radio pulses that travel through space to the Earth. Dr. Kilpatrick described: "The spectroscopic lines in these data enabled us to conclude that the red dwarf is oscillating back and forth very quickly with precisely the same two-hour period as the radio pulses." This discovery sheds new light on the interactions between stellar companions and contributes to a greater understanding of cosmic radio phenomena.
