Weird Spinning Star Defies Explanation

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http://www.wunderground.com/news/weird-spinning-star-20130124

Scientists have discovered a puzzling spinning star that is spontaneously switching between two very different personalities, flipping between emitting strong X-rays and emitting intense radio waves.

While radio frequencies are known to vary as the star changes personalities, the newfound star is the first time example of variability in X-rays as well. The star, called a pulsar because it appears to pulse, has astronomers perplexed.

"When we look now to what is so far published in papers, nothing at this moment can explain what is happening," said the study's lead author, Wim Hermsen of the Netherlands Institute for Space Research and the University of Amsterdam.

More at link.....

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That's fascinating Reader thank you!
 
Kat said:
That's fascinating Reader thank you!
Click to expand...

I don't believe I understand a single word of it! (But I appreciate Reader and Kat because they do.)

But I know that "5 million years old" is very young in terms of the age of the universe. Is that a typo or could the spinning and alternating pulses be part of the birth process?
 
Nova said:
I don't believe I understand a single word of it! (But I appreciate Reader and Kat because they do.)

But I know that "5 million years old" is very young in terms of the age of the universe. Is that a typo or could the spinning and alternating pulses be part of the birth process?
Click to expand...

Agreed...don't really understand it. Birth process makes sense to me.

Will we ever find the 'end' and 'beginning' of the universe? This question has plagued me since I was 8 years old.
 
Are they sure it is a star? Haven't seen kimster lately . . .
 
Show Me said:
Agreed...don't really understand it. Birth process makes sense to me.

Will we ever find the 'end' and 'beginning' of the universe? This question has plagued me since I was 8 years old.
Click to expand...

I'd let that dream go, if I were you.

They now think there are infinite universes, so we'll never know when they all began or when they will all end. :great:
 
I believe a pulsar is a neutron star that's a remnant of a supernova that isn't massive enough to produce a black hole. Regarding the age, I don't know how that was determined but they apparently have some way of figuring it out - guessing some sort of half-life business maybe. It would have been a large "regular" star though before it ran out of fuel and went supernova - that's my understanding anyway.
 
STANDREID said:
I believe a pulsar is a neutron star that's a remnant of a supernova that isn't massive enough to produce a black hole. Regarding the age, I don't know how that was determined but they apparently have some way of figuring it out - guessing some sort of half-life business maybe. It would have been a large "regular" star though before it ran out of fuel and went supernova - that's my understanding anyway.
Click to expand...

So assuming the "5 million year" age is correct, it would refer to the length of time since the supernova, not the length of time of the entity in all forms. Yes?
 
Nova said:
I don't believe I understand a single word of it! (But I appreciate Reader and Kat because they do.)

But I know that "5 million years old" is very young in terms of the age of the universe. Is that a typo or could the spinning and alternating pulses be part of the birth process?
Click to expand...

No Nova I don't understand most of it. :) I wish I did though!

But, I found it fascinating because it's a new discovery! The discovery of this star challanges everything they thought they knew about stars.

I can't wait until they figure out (if they figure it out) why it's doing this. What is making it categorically different from other pulsars?

Here's another article:

http://www.astronomy.com/~/link.aspx?_id=418c617f-ff97-4a7c-b34b-6f6c72ae6049

It is the first time that a switching X-ray emission has been detected from a pulsar, and the properties of this emission are unexpectedly puzzling. As no current model is able to explain this switching behavior, which occurs within only a few seconds, these observations have reopened the debate about the physical mechanisms powering the emission from pulsars.
Click to expand...

and...

In the meantime, these observations will keep theoretical astrophysicists busy investigating possible physical mechanisms that could cause the sudden and drastic changes to the pulsar’s entire magnetosphere and result in such a curious emission.
Click to expand...

Looks like they will have to rethink their theories. I find that fascinating when a theory is found in need to be reworked---don't ask me why I do, I just do :)
 
Nova said:
So assuming the "5 million year" age is correct, it would refer to the length of time since the supernova, not the length of time of the entity in all forms. Yes?
Click to expand...

That would be my guess which is worth close to what you paid for it.:waitasec:
 
Kat said:
No Nova I don't understand most of it. :) I wish I did though!

But, I found it fascinating because it's a new discovery! The discovery of this star challanges everything they thought they knew about stars.

I can't wait until they figure out (if they figure it out) why it's doing this. What is making it categorically different from other pulsars?

Here's another article:

http://www.astronomy.com/~/link.aspx?_id=418c617f-ff97-4a7c-b34b-6f6c72ae6049

and...

Looks like they will have to rethink their theories. I find that fascinating when a theory is found in need to be reworked---don't ask me why I do, I just do :)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link, Kat! and I can assure Nova and you that I don't understand it all either....like you thought it was very interesting that the scientists are stumped too...back to the drawing board to learn more about the stars!
 
STANDREID said:
Regarding the age, I don't know how that was determined but they apparently have some way of figuring it out - guessing some sort of half-life business maybe.
Click to expand...

According to the link that Kat posted, they can determine the age by how much the star has cooled. Apparently they know how hot a neutron star, as per its size, is right after the supernova and the rate of cooling. Perhaps some astrophysicist can chime in to clarify.
 
Kat said:
...Looks like they will have to rethink their theories. I find that fascinating when a theory is found in need to be reworked---don't ask me why I do, I just do :)
Click to expand...

I'm no atheist, but that's why science is ultimately more beautiful and exciting than religious dogma: ideas must evolve as new evidence is discovered!

What a paean to the Creator are the wonders of the observable universe!

***

Confidential to Reader: Thanks to various probes and recent work that has discovered over 400 planets in nearby solar systems, scientists have been "going back to the drawing board" a lot lately! I am finding all the unmanned discovery far more exciting than trying to send human beings into unforgivably hostile environments.
 
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