In a remarkable breakthrough announced on May 28, 2025, astronomers have unveiled the discovery of a truly unique star named ASKAP J1832-0911, located approximately 15,000 light-years away within our Milky Way galaxy. This star is unlike any other observed before, exhibiting synchronized pulses of radio and X-ray waves every 44 minutes, a phenomenon never recorded in stars of its kind until now.
ASKAP J1832-0911 belongs to a rare class of celestial objects known as long-period radio transients, first identified only in 2022. These stars emit radio pulses at intervals ranging from minutes to hours, vastly different from pulsars—rapidly spinning neutron stars—that pulse over milliseconds to seconds. The discovery of ASKAP J1832-0911 adds a new layer to this enigmatic class, as it is the first to emit corresponding X-ray pulses alongside its radio emissions.
The star was initially detected in late 2023 by Australian astronomers using the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) radio telescopes, from which it derives its name. Its radio pulses last about two minutes and recur every 44 minutes. Intriguingly, the star’s radio brightness surged dramatically in February 2024, becoming 10,000 times brighter than most stars typically detected in the radio sky.
Coincidentally, around the same time, NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory was observing the same region of the sky. This serendipitous alignment allowed researchers to obtain X-ray data revealing that ASKAP J1832-0911 also emits X-ray pulses perfectly synchronized with its radio signals. Ziteng (Andy) Wang, the lead author of the study and an astronomer at Curtin University in Australia, described the discovery as akin to “finding a needle in a haystack,” emphasizing the star’s unprecedented nature.
“Astronomers have looked at countless stars with all kinds of telescopes and we’ve never seen one that acts this way,” Wang said. “It’s thrilling to see a new type of behaviour for stars.” The team’s findings were published in the prestigious journal Nature, marking a significant advancement in our understanding of stellar phenomena.
Long-period radio transients like ASKAP J1832-0911 challenge existing astrophysical models. Unlike pulsars, which emit pulses due to their rapid rotation and strong magnetic fields, these objects pulse at much longer intervals. The dual emission of radio and X-ray waves in perfect harmony adds further mystery, as these wavelengths typically originate from very different physical processes.
Researchers have proposed several theories to explain ASKAP J1832-0911’s unusual behavior. One possibility is that it is a magnetar—a highly magnetized neutron star—aged over 500,000 years. Magnetars are known for their intense magnetic fields and energetic emissions, but the star’s bright and variable radio pulses are difficult to reconcile with such an old magnetar.
Another hypothesis considers the star as part of a binary system involving a highly magnetized white dwarf, a low-mass star in the later stages of its evolution. However, this scenario also falls short of fully explaining the observed synchronized pulses. The star’s apparent location within a supernova remnant initially suggested a connection to a neutron star left behind by a stellar explosion, but astronomers now believe this is a mere line-of-sight coincidence rather than a physical association.
Co-author Dr. Nanda Rea from the Institute of Space Sciences in Barcelona, Spain, highlighted the broader implications of the discovery: “Finding one such object hints at the existence of many more.” She underscored the collaborative nature of the research, which involved scientists from around the globe pooling their expertise to unravel this cosmic mystery.
ASKAP J1832-0911’s behavior is not static. Over six months, the star’s X-ray and radio emissions diminished substantially, suggesting dynamic changes in its emission mechanisms or environment. This variability adds complexity to understanding the star and raises questions about whether its behavior is typical among long-period radio transients or unique to this object.
Dr. Tong Bao of the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) expressed the team’s commitment to ongoing investigation: “We will continue to hunt for clues about what is happening with this object, and we’ll look for similar objects. Finding a mystery like this isn’t frustrating — it’s what makes science exciting.”
The discovery of ASKAP J1832-0911 opens a new frontier in astrophysics, challenging current models of stellar evolution and emission. It suggests that our galaxy may host a variety of exotic stars with behaviors yet to be understood. Continued observations, especially coordinated multi-wavelength studies combining radio and X-ray data, will be crucial to unraveling the nature of these long-period transients.
As astronomers delve deeper into the cosmos with ever more sensitive instruments, ASKAP J1832-0911 stands as a beacon of the unknown, reminding us that the universe still holds many secrets waiting to be uncovered.
