Scientists have discovered a unique star system that sends radio pulses every eight minutes from 5,000 light-years away. This system, named GPM J071507−114153, marks the first time that regular radio signals have been traced directly to a white dwarf orbiting a Sun-like star.
Researchers at the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) initially spotted the system using the Murchison Widefield Array in Australia. They then used the MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa to confirm its exact location.
Signals from a Dead Star
The system comprises a dead star known as a white dwarf, which completes one rotation every eight minutes. In addition, it also contains a G-type star similar to the Sun. Traditionally, such signals were only observed in systems containing smaller, cooler red dwarf stars. The fact that researchers tracked the white dwarf’s orbital motion indicates that the radio waves originate from or near the white dwarf itself.
The system belongs to a rare class of cosmic objects that switch radio signals on and off over minutes or hours. Only a limited number of these long-period transients (LPTs) have been found since the first was detected in 2021.
