Years ago, a special telescope in Australia saw something strange in space. It was a strong radio signal from not far away. It flashed like a pulsar, but with longer breaks and pulses. Scientists found more signals, and now they know where one of them comes from.
This signal comes from a tiny red star and a white star nearby. The stars orbit each other and make the odd radio waves. The strange thing is that normal red stars can’t do this, so there must be something special about these stars.
The team used a big telescope in South Africa to study the stars closely. They discovered that the two stars could be a red dwarf and a white dwarf. These stars are very dense and can create strong beams of light. If they’re close enough, the white dwarf could be taking material from the red dwarf, causing the strange flashes.
More research is needed to confirm this, but if it’s true, these stars would be very rare in our galaxy.
Vocabulary List:
- Telescope /ˈtɛlɪˌskoʊp/ (noun): An optical instrument for viewing distant objects by magnifying their images.
- Signal /ˈsɪɡnəl/ (noun): A sound or an action that conveys information.
- Pulsar /ˈpʌl.sɑr/ (noun): A highly magnetized rotating neutron star that emits beams of electromagnetic radiation.
- Orbit /ˈɔːr.bɪt/ (verb): To revolve around a star planet or moon in a regular repeating path.
- Dwarf /dwɔːrf/ (noun): A star that is relatively small and low in luminosity compared to other stars.
- Research /ˈriːsɜːrtʃ/ (noun): The systematic investigation into a subject in order to discover or revise facts theories or applications.
How much do you know?
