GPM J1839â10 [1] is a potentially unique [2] ultra-long period magnetar [3] [4] located about 15,000 light-years away from Earth in the Scutum constellation, in the Milky Way. It was discovered by a team of scientists at Curtin University using the Murchison Widefield Array. [5] [6] Its unusual characteristics violate current theory and prompted a search of other radio telescope archives, including the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope and the Very Large Array, which revealed evidence of the object dating back to 1988. [5] The signature of the object went unnoticed because scientists did not know to look for its unusual behavior. [5]
The current understanding of neutron stars is that below a certain rate of rotation, called "the death line", they cease emissions. Uniquely, not only does GPM J1839â10 have an extremely slow rotation of approximately twenty-two minutes, it emits bursts of radio waves lasting up to five minutes, for which there is currently no generally accepted explanation. [5] [4] [6] [7] [8]
GPM J1839â10 [1] is a potentially unique [2] ultra-long period magnetar [3] [4] located about 15,000 light-years away from Earth in the Scutum constellation, in the Milky Way. It was discovered by a team of scientists at Curtin University using the Murchison Widefield Array. [5] [6] Its unusual characteristics violate current theory and prompted a search of other radio telescope archives, including the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope and the Very Large Array, which revealed evidence of the object dating back to 1988. [5] The signature of the object went unnoticed because scientists did not know to look for its unusual behavior. [5]
The current understanding of neutron stars is that below a certain rate of rotation, called "the death line", they cease emissions. Uniquely, not only does GPM J1839â10 have an extremely slow rotation of approximately twenty-two minutes, it emits bursts of radio waves lasting up to five minutes, for which there is currently no generally accepted explanation. [5] [4] [6] [7] [8]