Cosmic mystery: Radio signals detected in deep space defy conventional wisdom
MANCHESTER, United Kingdom — In the depths of the universe, a team of astronomers has stumbled upon a cosmic mystery that challenges our understanding of the life cycles of stars. Led by Dr. Manisha Caleb at the University of Sydney and Dr. Emil Lenc at CSIRO, the researchers have discovered a peculiar object, believed to be a neutron star, that spins at an astonishingly slow rate — just once every 54 minutes.
Neutron stars, the ultra-dense remnants of dead stars, are known for their mind-boggling rotational speeds, typically spinning on their axis in a matter of seconds or even fractions of a second. However, this newly discovered object, dubbed ASKAP J1935+2148, defies this norm, emitting radio signals at a comparatively leisurely pace.
The enigmatic radio signals from ASKAP J1935+2148, revealed in the journal Nature Astronomy, were first detected using CSIRO’s ASKAP radio telescope in Western Australia.
