CAPE TOWN, South Africa – Astronomers have recently made a groundbreaking discovery that challenges the existing understanding of cosmic objects at the edge of known physics. In an article published in Science, the researchers report the identification of an enigmatic cosmic system that may contain an object that is defying classification, offering a glimpse into the extremes of matter in the universe.
Located deep in the star cluster NGC 1851, the researchers believe they have discovered a celestial object that does not easily fit into existing astrophysical classifications, potentially uncovering a new type of cosmic entity. The system is composed of a millisecond pulsar, a rapidly spinning neutron star that emits regular pulses of radiation, and a massive, hidden object of unknown nature.
These findings have significant implications for our understanding of the physics at the boundary between neutron stars and black holes. Neutron stars are known to eventually collapse to become black holes, but the object discovered challenges this conventional understanding, adding complexity to the classification of celestial bodies at the edge of known physics.
Using the sensitive MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa, astronomers were able to precisely detail the orbits of the two objects, indicating that their point of closest approach changes with time. The observed changes in the system are described by Einstein’s theory of relativity, allowing astronomers to deduce that the system weighs almost four times as much as our Sun.
The nature and formation of objects in this mass gap is an outstanding question in astrophysics, leading to intense speculation and further research to conclusively identify the true nature of the celestial object. These discoveries open up new avenues for understanding the behaviors and properties of cosmic objects in the most extreme environments in the universe.