Universe: A supernatural source has been sending strange signals to Earth for 35 years

Long radio signals from space have been picked up for 35 years by scientists who have not been able to trace them, according to an article published in the journal Nature on Wednesday, July 19, 2023. Among the hypotheses, scientists think of a pulsar, even though these stars are used to sending pulses from a few milliseconds to several seconds but never several minutes as is the case for the unknown object.

The first waves date back at least to 1988. According to scientists who published their research in the journal Nature, on Wednesday, July 19, 2023, an unknown space source has been sending long signals to Earth for at least 35 years. But, for years, researchers have been unable to decode these signals. Their characteristics do not match any known pattern, The Independent reports.

This unknown source sends explosions of energy in about 20 minutes with a brightness that varies greatly, according to the scientists. It has recently been identified, but by searching archives, researchers have been able to identify traces of comparable signals of up to 21 minutes perceived since at least 1988.

Unusual behavior

Scientists initially thought they might be signals from pulsars, fast-moving stars that emit short-pulse radio explosions of milliseconds to seconds, but never minutes. They could also be radio bursts, which are anomalies in the radio frequency readings of space, but again the emissions do not last several minutes.

If the object named GPMJ1839-10 is a pulsar, it does not behave like the known ones. It works in a way that scientists thought was impossible. Experts also make other assumptions. It could be a highly magnetized “white dwarf” star or a magnetar, another type of neutron star with incredibly powerful magnetic fields. However, these celestial objects usually do not send such pulses. So the mystery remains.