In a dark region of space, approximately 14,700 light-years from Earth, a mysterious object is doing something entirely unexpected.

A cosmic entity known as ASKAP J1832-0911 is emitting bursts of radio waves and X-rays simultaneously, lasting two minutes every 44 minutes.

This marks the first time such an object—classified as a long-period transient (LPT)—has been observed emitting X-rays.

Currently, there is no clear explanation for the origin of these signals, or why they turn “on” and “off” in such a regular, prolonged, and strange pattern.

Experts admit that even the best existing hypotheses cannot account for this phenomenon, which challenges our current understanding of physics.

They believe ASKAP J1832-0911 could be a completely new type of astronomical object never seen before.

This cosmic phenomenon is located deep within the galactic plane, a region dense with stars, gas, and dust.

Dr. Andy Wang of Curtin University (Australia) stated:

"This object is unlike anything we’ve ever seen before."

His team discovered the phenomenon using the ASKAP radio telescope situated on the land of the Wajarri people in Australia, operated by Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO.

They matched the radio signals with X-ray bursts captured by NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, which happened to be observing the same patch of sky at the time.

Dr. Wang said:

“Finding that ASKAP J1832-0911 emits X-rays is like finding a needle in a haystack. ASKAP has a wide field of view, while Chandra only observes a tiny portion of the night sky. It was pure luck that Chandra was looking at exactly the same region at that moment.”

LPTs, which are objects that emit radio bursts minutes or even hours apart, were first discovered in 2022. So far, astronomers worldwide have recorded only 10 such objects.

“ASKAP J1832-0911 might be a magnetar—the core of a dead star with an extremely strong magnetic field—or possibly a binary star system where one star is a magnetic white dwarf,” Dr. Wang explained.

According to Dr. Wang, this discovery could hint at an entirely new type of physics or revised models of stellar evolution.

“What makes it even more intriguing is that the X-ray emission also follows the exact same 44-minute cycle. This object doesn’t resemble any known source in our galaxy, so we need more observations to figure out what exactly is going on,” he added.

This discovery also narrows down the possible explanations. Since X-rays are far more energetic than radio waves, any theory must account for both forms of radiation. This is a critical clue, especially as the true nature of these signals remains a cosmic mystery.

So far, ASKAP J1832-0911 is the only known LPT to emit X-rays.

The X-ray pulses provide direct evidence of the object’s dense nature, while the radio waves indicate the presence of a structured, organized magnetic field, according to researchers.

Professor Nanda Rea, co-author from the Institute of Space Sciences and the Catalan Institute for Space Studies (Spain), noted:

“The discovery of such an object suggests that many more may exist out there.”

“The detection of periodic X-ray emissions opens new directions for studying their mysterious nature,” Rea added.

In 1974, astronomers sent a radio message containing basic information about humanity and Earth using the Arecibo telescope in Puerto Rico, hoping to contact extraterrestrial intelligence.
This message, later known as the “Arecibo Message,” was aimed at the M13 star cluster, located about 21,000 light-years from Earth.

WHAT IS A NEUTRON STAR?

A neutron star is the collapsed core of a dead star.

When a massive star reaches the end of its life cycle, its core collapses, and its outer layers are expelled into space.

What remains is an incredibly dense object known as a neutron star—containing more mass than the Sun but packed into an area the size of a city.

A typical neutron star has about 500,000 times the mass of Earth, yet is only around 20 kilometers wide.

Just a teaspoon of its matter could weigh as much as Mount Everest.

These stars are extremely hot (millions of degrees), emit intense radiation, and possess immensely powerful magnetic fields.

According to Professor Patrick Sutton from Cardiff University, this is one of the most extreme environments in the known universe.

The core of dense objects like neutron stars plays a key role in unlocking the origins of heavy elements in the universe.
Souces: vietnamnet