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| Astronomers detect newly-discovered star FLIPPING its powerful radio beam in never-before-seen behavior | Astronomers detect newly-discovered star FLIPPING its powerful radio beam in never-before-seen behavior |
| (about 1 month later) | |
| Astronomers have discovered a unique kind of star behaving rather strangely around 15,000 light years away, blasting its radio wave beam in odd directions and appearing to flip its polarity. | Astronomers have discovered a unique kind of star behaving rather strangely around 15,000 light years away, blasting its radio wave beam in odd directions and appearing to flip its polarity. |
| The magnetar Swift J1818.0–1607, discovered in 2020, is one of just 30 other such objects detected in the Milky Way (so far). Swift is rare even among this select few. | The magnetar Swift J1818.0–1607, discovered in 2020, is one of just 30 other such objects detected in the Milky Way (so far). Swift is rare even among this select few. |
| Magnetars are supergiant stars that fail to go supernova and instead collapse into ultra-dense cores thanks to their own immense gravity. As opposed to other types of neutron stars which form in similar fashion, magnetars produce extremely powerful magnetic fields, hence the name. | Magnetars are supergiant stars that fail to go supernova and instead collapse into ultra-dense cores thanks to their own immense gravity. As opposed to other types of neutron stars which form in similar fashion, magnetars produce extremely powerful magnetic fields, hence the name. |
| Following a raft of new observations courtesy of the scientists at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery (OzGrav), researchers found that Swift also emits radio waves, behaving more like a pulsar, another offshoot of neutron stars, which blast out powerful beams of radiation from their poles, rather than a garden-variety magnetar. | Following a raft of new observations courtesy of the scientists at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery (OzGrav), researchers found that Swift also emits radio waves, behaving more like a pulsar, another offshoot of neutron stars, which blast out powerful beams of radiation from their poles, rather than a garden-variety magnetar. |
| Over the course of eight observations in a period of five months throughout 2020, astronomers noticed the radio pulses changed dramatically. | Over the course of eight observations in a period of five months throughout 2020, astronomers noticed the radio pulses changed dramatically. |
| Swift behaved like a pulsar in May, showcased a kind of weak flickering in June, and then displayed a blend of pulsar-like and magnetar-like pulses in July before eventually settling down in August to a more magnetar-like state. | Swift behaved like a pulsar in May, showcased a kind of weak flickering in June, and then displayed a blend of pulsar-like and magnetar-like pulses in July before eventually settling down in August to a more magnetar-like state. |
| Increasingly, this strange behavior has led researchers to suspect Swift may be the missing link between magnetars and pulsars that ties together this dense and dysfunctional family of dead stars. | Increasingly, this strange behavior has led researchers to suspect Swift may be the missing link between magnetars and pulsars that ties together this dense and dysfunctional family of dead stars. |
| “This bizarre behaviour has never been seen before in any other radio-loud magnetar,” the study’s lead author, Marcus Lower from Swinburne University and CSIRO, said. | “This bizarre behaviour has never been seen before in any other radio-loud magnetar,” the study’s lead author, Marcus Lower from Swinburne University and CSIRO, said. |
| Now the researchers propose a possible new state of stellar evolution hitherto unseen by humanity, on suspicion that that “the radio beam briefly flipped over to a completely different magnetic pole located in the northern hemisphere of the magnetar.” | Now the researchers propose a possible new state of stellar evolution hitherto unseen by humanity, on suspicion that that “the radio beam briefly flipped over to a completely different magnetic pole located in the northern hemisphere of the magnetar.” |
| They are now hoping to confirm this hypothesis through direct observations of one such flip to prove once and for all whether these weird and wacky magnetars are indeed a new breed or if Swift represents an audacious outlier. | They are now hoping to confirm this hypothesis through direct observations of one such flip to prove once and for all whether these weird and wacky magnetars are indeed a new breed or if Swift represents an audacious outlier. |
| If you like this story, share it with a friend! | If you like this story, share it with a friend! |