--- title: "Mysterious Space Object Has Been Pulsing Every 20 Minutes Since the 1980s" description: "Astronomers have discovered a suspected magnetar, which has been sending out radio waves every 22 minutes since at least 1988." date: "2023-07-21" modified: "2023-07-21" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor.md" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/pulsar-every-20-minutes-since-1980s" categories: - "Off-World" - "Space" tags: - "fast radio bursts" - "neutron stars" - "pulsars" - "the digest" --- # Mysterious Space Object Has Been Pulsing Every 20 Minutes Since the 1980s ![Astronomers have discovered a suspected magnetar, which has been sending out radio waves every 22 minutes since at least 1988.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Slow Jams Astronomers have long been observing pulsars, which are highly magnetized neutron stars that rotate and shoot out beacons of energy, much like a lighthouse. These repeating radio signals are detected back here on Earth as powerful and surprisingly regular blips — at least until they inevitably slow down and die. Now, a team of researchers has discovered a different kind of pulsar called a magnetar, which sends out even more powerful blasts of radio waves that repeats every 22 minutes — an astonishingly long period for such a celestial object. In fact, as the astronomers detailed in a [new study]() published in the journal *Nature*, this particular magnetar dubbed GPM J1839−10 has been blasting out five-minute-long signals from 15,000 light-years away since 1988 — and at an incredible degree of accuracy, down to the tenth of a millisecond. ## Never Give Up And it's seemingly not slowing down, confounding our preexisting notions about pulsars. "This remarkable object challenges our understanding of neutron stars and magnetars, which are some of the most exotic and extreme objects in the Universe," said lead author Natasha Hurley-Walker, a radio astronomer at Curtin University in Australia, in a [statement](). In other words, the magnetar should've died a long time ago, and its "radio emission should only be visible for a few months to years — not 33 years and counting," as Hurley-Walker explained in a widely-cited [piece for *The Conversation*](). "So when we tried to solve one problem, we accidentally created another," she wrote. "What are these mysterious repeating radio sources?" The astronomers are now left with an even bigger puzzle. What is J1839−10? Could it really be a magnetar in spite of its astonishing longevity? The discovery could force us to rethink what we know about the evolution of neutron stars. For now, Hurley-Walker and her team are hoping to detect more radio signals like it. "That was quite an incredible moment for me," Hurley-Walker recalled, referring to the moment she found evidence of the signal in data recorded back in 1988. "I was five years old when our telescopes first recorded pulses from this object, but no one noticed it, and it stayed hidden in the data for 33 years." "They missed it because they hadn't expected to find anything like it," she added. **More on pulsars:** *[Pulsar Devours Neighbor, Becomes Heaviest Neutron Star Ever Observed]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]() ## More - [Scientists Puzzled by “Spooky” Object Sending Radio Signals Every 18 Minutes From Deep Space]() - [Scientists Spot Mysterious Object in Our Galaxy Pulsing Every 44 Minutes]() - [MIT Scientists Discover Deep Space Signal, Pulsing Like Heartbeat]() - [Scientists Intrigued by Signal From Space Repeating Every Hour]() - [Mysterious Signal Coming From a Dead Star and Its Companion]() - [Astronomers Puzzled by Inexplicable Deep Space Object]() - [Scientists Propose Interesting Explanation for Mysterious Signals From Space]() - [Astronomers Record Signal Coming From Deep Space Every 157 Days]()