A decade-long cosmic enigma has finally been unraveled, revealing a binary star system as the source of strange, repeating radio pulses. The signals, detected every two hours, originate from a white dwarf and a red dwarf locked in a tight orbit, producing intense bursts of energy similar to those associated with neutron stars.
In 2015, scientists first detected periodic radio pulses near the Big Dipper, sparking speculation about their origin. An international team of researchers, including those from Northwestern University and the University of Sydney, used multiple telescopes to pinpoint the source, tracing it to a binary system 1,600 light-years away.
The system consists of a white dwarf and a red dwarf orbiting each other at an incredibly close distance, causing their magnetic fields to interact. This interaction produces radio bursts every 125.5 minutes, challenging the long-held assumption that such signals are exclusive to neutron stars.
This breakthrough discovery reveals that even lower-mass objects like white dwarfs can produce similar radio pulses under specific conditions. The findings have significant implications for understanding how these systems evolve and whether they could be responsible for other mysterious long-period radio transients observed across the universe.
Astronomers plan to conduct further observations, including ultraviolet studies, to determine the temperature of the white dwarf and reconstruct its past. This new frontier in astronomy holds promise for unlocking the secrets of these enigmatic radio pulses and shedding light on the mysteries of the cosmos.
Source: https://dailygalaxy.com/2025/03/dead-star-sends-mysterious-signals-every-two-hours-baffling-astronomers