Cosmic mystery: New magnetar defies known science laws
This discovery contradicts current theories and laws of science. It pertains to a cosmic object emitting radio waves every 22 minutes. It is a magnetar, a specific type of neutron star, which generates intense magnetic fields and emits electromagnetic radiation.
This unique phenomenon is the magnetar with the longest period of radio wave emission ever discovered. Named GPM J1839-10, it is situated 15,000 light-years from Earth. A team of astronomers from the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research discovered it using the Murchison Widefield Array telescope in Western Australia. This mysterious object has been sending a radio signal to Earth every 22 minutes for 33 years.
Unusual discovery
The neutron star GPM J1839-10 is exceptional for several reasons. Firstly, it is only the second object of its kind to be discovered. The first object was identified by student Tyrone O'Doherty from Curtin University. GPM J1839-10 stands out because it emits bursts of energy lasting up to five minutes. This is five times more than the previous object.
The magnetar GPM J1839-10 poses numerous challenges to scientists, as its behaviour does not fit current theories. Usually, magnetars, a special type of neutron star, emit radio waves only when they rotate rapidly enough. GPM J1839-10, however, rotates too slowly to be able to emit this kind of radiation. Nevertheless, we still detect radio emissions from this object.
The researchers used a collection of advanced telescopes to confirm their discovery, including CSIRO radio telescopes in Australia, MeerKAT in South Africa, the Gran Telescopio Canarias, and the XMM-Newton space telescope.
Did scientists know about the signal earlier?
The history of the star's discovery is remarkably interesting because it was revealed that the object, initially unnoticed, had already been recorded earlier. In 1988, the American Very Large Array telescope and the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope captured it during their observations.
For 33 years, no one realised its uniqueness. Only during a re-examination of the data did the researchers' attention turn to this object, which had remained unrecorded for such a long time. This demonstrates how unexpected discoveries can result from rethinking and analysing previous data.
Scientists, including Natasha Hurley-Walker, cannot explain this phenomenon using current theoretical models. This indicates that GPM J1839-10 might be a completely new type of magnetar that requires the development of new theories to understand how it can emit radiation despite slower rotation. This serves as a great example of how astronomical discoveries can lead to revising existing scientific assumptions and seeking new explanations.
