The nature of the emitting object is not known, as it does not match anything known
By Entrepreneur in Catalan
If anything has become clear in recent years, it is that we largely ignore what is happening outside the Earth (also inside it). Millionaires embody a battle to reach the Moon, Mars and the ends of the galaxy, but there are countless unknowns. Such is the case with the new and mysterious radio signals coming from the center of the Milky Way.
The technical name of the waves is ASKAP J173608.2-321635. Scientists have not yet been able to figure out what it could be. The signal has been detected six times between January and September 2020 and then reappeared until February 7 this year.
In a study on the finding, which has not yet been published in The Astrophysical Journal, but which can be consulted on the arXiv server, the researchers explain that it is a “highly polarized, variable and steep spectrum radio”.
“ASKAP J173608.2-321635, could be part of a new class of objects that are being discovered through radio imaging studies,” the authors write.
How did they discover the signs?
Thanks to the Australian Square Kilometer Array Pathfinder (ASKAP), a radio telescope, a set of 36 antennas 12 meters in diameter, that work as one and make it one of the most sensitive in the world. It is designed to analyze cosmic magnetism, identify black holes, and explore the origin of galaxies.
The signal is unknown, several types of stars have been discarded. But it shares some properties with the Galactic Center Radio Transients (GCRT), another mysterious signal discovered in 2000, which is also broadcast from the center of the Milky Way.
To find out what it is, researchers need to observe the radio signals longer. In this way, certain patterns that had not been seen before could be established. “We will be able to understand to what extent ASKAP J173608.2-321635 is truly unique and whether it is related to the galactic plane, which should ultimately help us deduce its nature.”
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