‘Repeats after every 53 minutes’: Mysterious deep-space signal defies known astrophysics
Produced by: Manoj Kumar
Representative pic
Signal Puzzle
A bizarre space signal repeats every 53.8 minutes, defying physics. Its three mysterious states leave scientists baffled—could it be a neutron star, a white dwarf, or something unknown?
Representative pic
Magnetic Mystery
The object’s pulses shift from bright, polarized flashes to faint, circular bursts—then silence. Experts struggle to explain this strange cycling pattern using known astrophysics.
Representative pic
Impossible Spin
Neutron stars spin in seconds, yet this one seems to rotate every 54 minutes. Scientists can’t explain how it maintains its radio bursts at such an impossibly slow pace.
Representative pic
White Dwarf Twist
White dwarfs spin slowly enough to match the cycle—but they shouldn’t emit radio signals like this. Could we be witnessing an entirely new class of stellar objects?
Representative pic
Plasma Enigma
Interplay between extreme magnetic fields and plasma flows might be responsible—but no known models predict such erratic behavior. Are we missing a fundamental piece of physics?
Representative pic
MeerKAT’s Role
South Africa’s MeerKAT telescope confirmed the three distinct signal states. Without it, astronomers might not have believed they were looking at a single cosmic source.
Representative pic
Echo of 18
A similar “impossible” 18-minute space signal puzzled scientists years ago. Now, this one lasts even longer, challenging what we thought we knew about pulsars and deep space emissions.
Representative pic
Alien Whispers?
While unlikely, the structured nature of the signal stirs speculation. Could intelligent origins be ruled out entirely, or are we seeing a natural process that mimics artificial design?
Representative pic
Physics Rewritten?
If neither neutron stars nor white dwarfs fit the bill, astronomers may need to rethink fundamental models of stellar evolution and radio wave emissions. A new cosmic chapter begins.
Representative pic