A strange repetitive signal emerged from the center of the Milky Way

Galaxy Milky Way 450 thousand light years long, you and I are somewhere in its backyard (no offense, earthlings). Based on the data available to date, our planet is called a local bubble, which is located inside a long gas cloud formed by particles of ancient supernovae. This bubble sits on the inner edge of one of the spinning arms of our galaxy, extending over 300 light years. However, it is not possible to estimate our exact location – we have no chance of seeing the galaxy from the outside. But something is available to us, namely – observation of the center of the Milky Way, which, according to recent estimates, is 25,800 light-years away from us. The galaxy is, as the astronomical community calls it, a galaxy’s rotating center, which contains a very large black hole. But beyond this cosmic monster, the inhabitants of the center are dense star superclusters, including red giants, supergiants, very hot gas and plenty of radio signals. One of them, and the most unusual, was recently discovered by astronomers.

At the center of the Milky Way, an unknown source sends radio signals unpredictably. Researchers believe that bizarre, repetitive radio signals near the center of the galaxy may be a completely new object

Listening to the Milky Way

This may seem surprising, but it was not until 1933 that radio astronomy became as scientific. Also, the discovery of radio waves coming from the center of the galaxy is completely coincidental. For example, engineer Carl Jansky worked on the interruption seen during the development of Alexander Bell, the world’s first telephone system. The problem was that when they were trying to make a call in the Atlantic Ocean, instead of each other, people heard a noise on the other side of the wire.

Detecting the cause of the problem, Jansky concluded that the noise was radio waves emanating from the center of the galaxy, disrupting telephone communications and creating disruptions. Almost 88 years have passed since that moment, but now we know incomparably more about space and the universe.

Radio astronomy allows the human eye to see very dark places, but these areas actually glow in the radio waves.

Modern telescopes are capable of capturing a wide variety of waves – from light waves and gamma radiation to radio waves, allowing scientists to draw the most detailed map of the visible universe. Radio waves mainly come from distant galaxies and very cold stars, which allows astronomers to see dark parts of the galaxy.

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Searching for radio waves

A radio telescope targeting a space object, radio waves hit the surface of the instrument, which is a kind of glass for radio waves and can be metal inside (mesh) or solid metal such as aluminum.

The first glass directs the radio waves to the second “radio glass” and then directs them to a place called the “receiver”. This part of the radio telescope picks up radio waves and converts them into an image. Basically, the receiver does the same as the camera: Converts radio waves into an image.

The data collected by the latest radio telescopes has already allowed astronomers to create the most complete Table Radio explosions. Let me remind you of that Fast Radio Explosions (FRBS) – These are very short but intense pulses of radio waves recorded in the radio range of the electromagnetic spectrum. These stimuli last only a few milliseconds and then disappear without a trace.

For the first time, the fast radio multiplex was in 2007 and remains a mystery to the scientific community.

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A new object in the center of the Milky Way?

Recently liked Reports Portal Space.com, astronomers have discovered a strange radio source somewhere in the center of our galaxy. The signal seems repetitive, approxTherefore, it is not clear to any known astronomical object.

The signal was first captured in data from April 2019, collected using the Australian Pathfinder Radio Interferometer (ASKAP). This large telescope scans the sky and repeatedly searches for sources of radio emissions that may be related to objects and events such as pulsars, supernovae, gamma-ray bursts and stellar flares.

Но новый радиосигнал не соответствует ни одному из из известных космических объектов. Обозначенный ASKAP как J173608.2-321635 и исходящий со стороны галактического центра, сигнал повторяется с явно случайными интервалами.

Earlier, with the help of ASKAP, scientists created the “New Atlas of the Universe” in which three million galaxies were projected.

Until now, scientists have relied on gamma rays, X-rays, infrared radiation and radio waves to study the center of the galaxy. The galaxy around the galaxy hides a large star population at the center of the Milky Way, so invisible wavelengths such as infrared are used to unravel its mysteries. But while radio telescopes are the best way to study the galaxy, the new discovery has left scientists confused.

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Mystery signal

In the course of the work, it has not yet passed an expert assessment and Published On the Ersive Preprint server, astronomers compared the new signal to low-mass stars; Dead stars (pulsars) emitting electromagnetic radiation; An elusive class of neutron stars and galactic center radio transitions (GCRTs) with strong magnetic fields. Surprisingly, the signal J173608.2-321635 did not meet the characteristics of any of the above objects, which would be new.

According to the authors of the study, the abnormal source showed radio signal emission for several consecutive weeks, but then quickly turned off in a single day. The sharp change in the emission of a radio signal makes it difficult to observe continuously for a more detailed evaluation.

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Most likely, the new radio signal indicates the presence of completely unfamiliar objects in the galaxy.

Interestingly, the radio signals transmitted by the mysterious object are unparalleled in the infrared or X-ray wavelengths, almost like a ghost in the electromagnetic spectrum and very difficult to detect – Report Astronomers.

Interestingly, the three GCRT-like sources found so far have some similarities with the mysterious signal, but the emission pattern of the ASKAP J173608.2-321635 is different, and the timing of the radio visibility varies. Ultimately, astronomers believe there may be evidence of a new radio signal Completely new type of objectsDiscovered by radio telescopes. However, if this evidence is a GCRT, it denies everything scientists know about them.