Astronomers find new type of stellar object

An international team led by astronomers from ICRAR has discovered a new type of stellar object. Thought to be an ultra-long period magnetar, it challenges our understanding of the physics of neutron stars.

The object is reportedly below the 'death line', a critical threshold where a star's magnetic field becomes too weak to generate high-energy emissions. Current theories say the object shouldn't be able to produce radio waves: but it is.

Astronomers discovered the object using the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) radio telescope at Inyarrimanha Ilgari Bundara, our Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory, and follow up observations used our ASKAP radio telescope, on Wajarri Country, our Parkes radio telescope, Murriyang on Wiradjuri Country, and the Australia Telescope Compact Array on Gomeroi Country.

Added by James Chesters on 2023-07-20