Astronomers Discover a Mysterious Spinning Object in the Milky Way
The scientists established that the object is about four thousand light years from Earth. So far, astronomers can only say that it is incredibly bright and has an extremely strong magnetic field.
Australian scientists have discovered a previously unknown spinning object in the Milky Way, releasing a huge burst of radio energy every 18 minutes. The powerful emission lasts a full minute, rather than the traditional milliseconds, which is what makes the find unusual.
Astrophysicist Dr Natasha Hurley-Walker said that the object was appearing and disappearing over a few hours during their observations, which was very unexpected.
The scientists established that the object is about four thousand light years from Earth. So far, astronomers can only say that it is incredibly bright and has an extremely strong magnetic field.
There are two theories about the nature of the object: it is either a neutron star or a white dwarf.