Mystery radio pulse detected
February 27th 2008 05:03
A mysterious radio pulse a ‘glitch’ was found on August 21 2001. It was a short radio burst of energy, a pulse showing extremely strong characteristics.
David Narkevic, then an undergraduate student astronomer found the pulse lasting no more than 0.005 second was discovered while searching for the signatures of pulsars in an archive of radio data recorded some years previously by the 210-foot-wide Parkes radio telescope in Australia.
The data originated from a survey of the Magellanic Clouds that included 480 hours of observations. [ talk about finding a needle in a galactic haystack] The brief burst he found is not from a pulsar it's a single solitary blip. It doesn't appear in other Parkes data scans made in the same region of the sky. The pulse did not show up again, nor did it make an appearance in two sets of follow-up observations made since the initial discovery.
No previously-detected cosmic radio burst has the same set of characteristics and no one who has seen the scan can offer any explanation.
Perhaps it represents an entirely new astronomical phenomenon. The radio location was within a few degrees of the Small Magellanic Cloud, but it doesn't appear to have come from the SMC or from anywhere in the Milky Way. Further study suggests that the radio burst has been traveling across intergalactic space for a vast amount of time. A source just 1,800 Kilometers across and 3 billion light-years away is very realistic possibility.
Regardless of what triggered the radio burst, the research team estimates that more of them may turn up in other pulsar surveys recorded with the Parkes telescope. The researchers are understandably excited by what they've found.
As a point of interest the Wow! A Signal lasting around 72 seconds. It was a strong; narrowband radio signal detected by Dr. Jerry R. Ehman on August 15, 1977 this particular signal was never heard from again the location of the Wow signal was in the region of constellation of Sagittarius. Although the mysterious radio pulse detected at the Parkes radio telescope was detected on August 21 2001.originated near the Small Magellanic Cloud.
CREDIT: Lorimer et al., NRAO/AUI/NSF
David Narkevic, then an undergraduate student astronomer found the pulse lasting no more than 0.005 second was discovered while searching for the signatures of pulsars in an archive of radio data recorded some years previously by the 210-foot-wide Parkes radio telescope in Australia.
The data originated from a survey of the Magellanic Clouds that included 480 hours of observations. [ talk about finding a needle in a galactic haystack] The brief burst he found is not from a pulsar it's a single solitary blip. It doesn't appear in other Parkes data scans made in the same region of the sky. The pulse did not show up again, nor did it make an appearance in two sets of follow-up observations made since the initial discovery.
No previously-detected cosmic radio burst has the same set of characteristics and no one who has seen the scan can offer any explanation.
Perhaps it represents an entirely new astronomical phenomenon. The radio location was within a few degrees of the Small Magellanic Cloud, but it doesn't appear to have come from the SMC or from anywhere in the Milky Way. Further study suggests that the radio burst has been traveling across intergalactic space for a vast amount of time. A source just 1,800 Kilometers across and 3 billion light-years away is very realistic possibility.
Radio Galactic map showing the origin of the mystery pulse
Regardless of what triggered the radio burst, the research team estimates that more of them may turn up in other pulsar surveys recorded with the Parkes telescope. The researchers are understandably excited by what they've found.
As a point of interest the Wow! A Signal lasting around 72 seconds. It was a strong; narrowband radio signal detected by Dr. Jerry R. Ehman on August 15, 1977 this particular signal was never heard from again the location of the Wow signal was in the region of constellation of Sagittarius. Although the mysterious radio pulse detected at the Parkes radio telescope was detected on August 21 2001.originated near the Small Magellanic Cloud.
CREDIT: Lorimer et al., NRAO/AUI/NSF
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Comment by Mountain Fog
Infognito
Did you see the doco on ABC a week or so ago, where Aldrin admitted they saw UFOs on their historic trip to the moon, and he said it so matter of factly. Then showed some pictures, and admitted other astronauts also saw UFOs, in the same manner as we would speak of paint drying.
Seems the 'thaw' is progessing slowly but surely.
Anway, you astronomists should really get yourselves a normal radio, and listen to some grooves, instead of space noise!
cheers
fog
Comment by CarlCan
Astroearth
Ah easy listening Intergalactic, noise there is nothing like it.