Every now and then, we catch various signals that travel through the space, like the mysterious fast radio bursts often tracked by scientists. However, now a strange infrared signal has been discovered. It seems to be spreading through space — coming from an area close to a neutron star.
What makes this signal strange is that it’s the first time an infrared signal has emanated from near a neutron star. Scientists have a few ideas that could hint at the origin of the signal. For example, when a star is close to the end of its life, it goes through a supernova explosion. If it has enough mass, it will form a black hole, but if it doesn’t, it will become a neutron star.
As their name suggests, neutron stars are mostly made of neutrons that are packed very tightly, which means they are very dense. Space.com explains that scientists also refer to these stars as pulsars if they have a strong magnetic field and rotate at speeds fast enough to emit electromagnetic waves.
“Although neutron stars are generally studied in radio and high-energy emissions, such as X-rays, this study demonstrates that new and interesting information about neutron stars can also be gained by studying them in infrared light,” NASA explained in an article published on Sept. 17, citing researchers.
For the new study on the strange infrared signal, researchers from Pennsylvania State University and the University of Arizona collaborated with researchers from Sabanci University in Turkey. They used data from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and published the results of their study in the Astrophysical Journal. According to the researchers, the newly-discovered signal was located roughly 800 light-years away and was “extended,” which means that it was stretched out across space. That makes it different than typical signals from neutron stars that emit X-rays.
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