[ad_1]
The explosions of radio and X-ray activity from a star with an extremely powerful magnetic field may have provided astronomers with a new clue to the mystery of “fast radio bursts” signals from space.
The bewildering phenomena of fast radio bursts have left astronomers scratching their heads since they were first discovered in 2007. The bizarre explosions can emit as much power as 500 million suns but last only a few milliseconds and come without warning.
A widely held explanation for the fascinating signals remains elusive. Due to their remarkable brightness, some experts believe they must be produced by incredibly powerful events.
New observations have found that radio emission bursts from a magnetar – a neutron star with an extremely powerful magnetic field – at 16,700 light-years away have striking similarities to the bursts detected by a magnetar inside our galaxy, known as SGR 1935 + 2154 – earlier this year.
The signals from the distant magnetar – named snappy 1E 1547.0-5408 – are not part of the previous interpretation of a fast radio burst, so the scientists had to broaden the definition.
“The new discoveries on SGR 1935 + 2154 and 1E 1547.0-5408 have changed the very definition of FRB”, one of the researchers, Gianluca Israel of the Astronomical Observatory in Rome, told ScienceAlert.
“The emerging scenario is that of a continuum of radio burst properties and energies, filling the void gap between the giant pulses in” ordinary “radio pulsars and Fast Radio Bursts.
Scientists hope that their observations will finally help to understand what exactly is causing the strange astrophysical phenomena, about which very little is yet known.
“All the discoveries go in the same direction: they deepen our understanding of nature and the Universe”, Israel added.
The main theory suggests that the explosions are caused by cataclysmic events such as the collision of very dense objects, such as black holes or neutron stars. However, others have offered even more extravagant explanations. One study even suggested they could power “solar sails” on a colossal alien spaceship.
Also on rt.com
Mysterious explosions in deep space that repeat with the power of millions of suns every 157 days are back in time
Do you like this story? Share it with a friend!
Source link
