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Researchers from the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have observed an unidentified object in the Milky Way galaxy, located 15,000 light-years away from Earth.
According to a report on the Space.com website, the unidentified object, discovered using NASA's Chandra X-ray telescope and named "ASKAP J1832-0911," emits both radio waves and X-rays for a duration of 2 minutes every 44 minutes.
The object, classified as a "Long Period Transient" (LPT), was observed emitting low-energy radio waves, in addition to being the first time an LPT has been seen emitting high-energy X-rays. Researchers believe the discovery could help reveal what these flashing objects, known as LPTs, actually are and how they transmit their signals.
Researchers believe that "ASKAP J1832-0911" is a dead star, but they have not yet found any evidence regarding its exact form. The lead researcher of the study and Curtin University scientist, Zieng Wang, said, "This object is unlike anything we’ve seen before."
There is currently no explanation for how signals from Long Period Transients (LPTs) are generated, nor do astronomers understand why these signals "switch on" and "switch off" at long, regular, and unusual intervals. LPTs, which are flashing objects emitting radio waves at intervals of several minutes or hours, were first discovered in 2022.
Since the initial detection, a total of 11 LPTs have been identified. The research has been published in the journal "Nature."
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