Mysterious radio pulses from the Milky Way ‘are unlike anything we knew before’ (edition.cnn.com)

submitted 2 days ago by StraponStratos@lemmy.sdf.org to c/world@quokk.au

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Over the past decade, scientists have detected a puzzling phenomenon: radio pulses coming from within our Milky Way galaxy that would pulse every two hours, like a cosmic heartbeat. The long radio blasts, which lasted between 30 and 90 seconds, appeared to come from the direction of the Ursa Major constellation, where the Big Dipper is located.

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[-] Dave@lemmy.nz 44 points 2 days ago

Not aliens 🙁

Now, astronomers have zeroed in on the surprising origin of the unusual radio pulses: a dead star, called a white dwarf, that is closely orbiting a small, cool red dwarf star. Red dwarfs are the most common type of star in the cosmos.

The two stars, known collectively as ILTJ1101, are orbiting each other so closely that their magnetic fields interact, emitting what’s known as a long period radio transient, or an LPT. Previously, long radio bursts were only traced to neutron stars, the dense remnants left after a colossal stellar explosion.

[-] Kit@lemmy.blahaj.zone 16 points 2 days ago

Bummer. Aliens would have been perfect for my 2025 bingo card.

[-] FreeRangeMustard@lemm.ee 9 points 2 days ago

And not the good ones like ET. We talking Predators and Independence Day.

[-] natedog526@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago

Predator aliens would at least be better than the aliens from Independence day. As long as you don't present yourself as a threat and they aren't actively hunting you, they will leave you alone.

[-] FreeRangeMustard@lemm.ee 4 points 2 days ago

What if I want to call em „Daddy“?

[-] thefartographer@lemm.ee 3 points 2 days ago

Isn't "Mommy" more appropriate? I mean, whatever makes y'all happy, though. I applaud your healthy relationship, should you manage to establish one.

[-] Yawweee877h444@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

We kinda deserve it though.

[-] thefartographer@lemm.ee 0 points 2 days ago

I disagree that we deserve it, since that's just some random third party. What we'll deserve is being enslaved and demolished by them after they win sweeping elections because everyone wanted to give something new a try and some bullshit about aliens already running the government and media in a totally-not-antisemitic-dog-whistle.

[-] classic@fedia.io 2 points 2 days ago

I agree with either of you. Looks like we've got a win-win here

[-] SharkAttak@kbin.melroy.org 1 points 2 days ago

Now if you're thinking that it would solve all our problems cause humanity would unite against the common threat, I think you'd get a disappointing, pessimistic but pretty realistic wake up call.

[-] classic@fedia.io 4 points 2 days ago

I think most people are past the phase of uniting against a common threat and more in the "can someone just stop us, already? Because we are a shitshow" phase

[-] secret_agent@lemmy.myserv.one 6 points 2 days ago

Aaaaawww maaaaannnnn.... :((

[-] sp3tr4l@lemmy.zip 4 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

I think it is interesting that when pulsars (rapidly spinning neutron stars) were first discovered, a fairly serious competing explanation (before more data was gathered) was that they could be something like interstellar lighthouses.

Now... they are not artifically constructed... but, if somebody actually was in a situation like Adama finds himself in, in the BSG revamp... they could actually serve that purpose, given that they have pretty stable, intense and specific pulse frequencies... if you could find even a few you recognized, you might at least be able to broadly traingulate and figure out where the hell you are.

Either way, neat to find out there are even more ways nature can unintentionally produce a reasonably reliable clock.