Research
A dead star is flashing radio waves every 8 minutes, and its partner looks a lot like the sun
Phys.org ·
The Brief
- A dead star is reported to emit radio flashes roughly every 8 minutes.
- Its companion is described as looking much like the sun.
- The source describes long-period radio transients as a new class of object studied since 2022, some traced to binary systems.
Why it matters
The object adds to a newly studied class of long-period radio transients and may help astronomers understand how dead stars in binaries produce bright radio emission.
Who’s affected
- astronomers studying compact objects and radio transients
- #radio transients
- #white dwarf
- #binary stars
- #long-period radio transients
- #astronomy
Since 2022, astronomers have been puzzling over a new kind of cosmic object called long-period radio transients. These are objects that emit bright flashes of radio waves into space every few minutes to every few hours. Some have been traced back to binary systems consisting of a…
Timeline
Astronomers begin puzzling over long-period radio transients (year only given in source; exact date unknown)
Space News - Space, Astronomy, Space Exploration
A dead star is flashing radio waves every 8 minutes, and its partner looks a lot like the sun