A group of astronomer researchers from ASTRON, the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy, obtained earlier this year a sequence of repeating radio signals from an unknown source. It is believed that the origin may come from a dead star thousands of light-years away. To answer this question, they used the LOFAR (Low Frequency Array) radio telescope, the Green Bank Telescope, the Very Large Array (VLA), the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME), and a NASA space observatory.
This is how this phenomenon and the source of this signal, officially named ILT J163430+445010, were detected, and it was considered a long-period transient celestial body. Initially, it was believed to come solely from a white dwarf, but the received pulse was repetitive and came in pairs. For this reason, further investigations shed more light and determined that there was also another companion, a brown dwarf. This is the result of the radio wave emission from a star that refuses to die.
Greatness of the Universe
For many, it goes unnoticed, and perhaps due to the human tendency to take things for granted, we are not truly aware of the masterpiece that our universe represents. Especially if we observe it at night, we can contemplate its magnitude and understand the fact that it harbors stars, planets, galaxies, and millions of celestial bodies.
It is thanks to astronomy that we can study and understand everything that happens there, how it has evolved since its origin, and what our place is within the galaxy in the universe. This has been made possible thanks to the tireless work of astronomers, as well as the technological development of instruments that allow this, such as telescopes, which enable us to see beyond the reach of the human eye.
New discovery
Earlier this year, 2025, a group of astronomer researchers from ASTRON, the Dutch Institute for Radio Astronomy, received a signal that repeated every 14 minutes. It was a sequence of radio signals from a then-unknown source, which was believed to possibly be a dead star thousands of light-years away. When they got to work and made use of the LOFAR (Low Frequency Array) radio telescope, along with the Green Bank Telescope, the Very Large Array (VLA), the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME), and a NASA space observatory, they were able to answer their questions.
The signal came from what was classified as celestial bodies, long-period transients, which was officially named ILT J163430+445010. The peculiarity of this discovery is that, as explained by one of the scientists involved in the research, Sanne Bloot, it is usual for pulsars to emit radio waves with circular polarization or linear polarization. However, ILT J163430+445010 can switch the polarization from circular to linear, a physical characteristic that has not been detected in any other body.
What is a white dwarf?
Thanks to the combination of the mentioned telescopes and NASA’s special observatory, scientists were able to determine that the source was a white dwarf. But, what is a white dwarf? According to scientists, it is a dense volume left behind when a star dies, approximately the size of Earth. It is a massive volume that is hot when formed, with a temperature between 15,000 to 33,000 °C, but it gradually cools down as it radiates its energy.
Another peculiarity of this white dwarf
After analyzing it, the pulses from the white dwarf (which was already considered a dead star) were repetitive and came in pairs. This meant that the star was not spinning alone, but had a companion. After further investigations, they were able to determine that it was a brown dwarf. Together, they emitted a choreographed pattern, which indicated to the LOFAR that perhaps the star was not really dead.
According to the study’s conclusions, it cannot be determined whether the star is truly dead or in its final evolutionary phase, since it is a discovery observed thousands of light-years away. They also explain that when a star refuses to die, it emits radio waves that are believed to be remnants of its previous life.