Star system that emits radio signals every eight minutes discovered in deep space

Key Points:

• Astronomers in Australia have discovered a unique star system, GPM J071507−114153, 5,000 light-years away, emitting mysterious radio signals every eight minutes from a white dwarf and a sun-like G-type star orbiting each other.
• This is the first time radio pulses have been detected from a white dwarf orbiting a sun-like star, breaking new ground as such signals were previously observed only in systems with smaller red dwarf stars.
• The discovery was made by analyzing over 100 hours of radio data using the Pawsey Supercomputing Research Centre and involved multiple observatories, including the Murchison Widefield Array, MeerKAT telescope, and W.M. Keck Observatory.
• The radio pulses revealed stellar flares on the sun-like star and the white dwarf passing behind a strong magnetic field region, likely a stellar prominence, showcasing the ability to detect distant stellar storms via radio wavelengths.
• Researchers emphasize that this finding is part of a broader class of long-period transients (LPTs), with only about a dozen known, and anticipate many more discoveries with future advanced telescopes like the SKAO.