Science

Story by Nina Massey •
12h

A new and unknown object in the Milky Way that is heavier than the heaviest neutron stars known to scientists, and yet lighter than the lightest known black holes, has been discovered by astronomers.

Researchers from a number of institutions including The University of Manchester and the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Germany found the object in orbit around a millisecond pulsar 40,000 light years away in a dense group of stars known as a globular cluster.

Millisecond pulsars are a type of pulsar (neutron star with pulses of radiation) that spin very rapidly – hundreds of times per second.

Either possibility for the nature of the companion is exciting

Ben Stappers, University of Manchester
According to experts, it could be the first discovery of a radio pulsar – black hole binary – a pairing that could allow new tests of Einstein’s general relativity and open doors to the study of black holes.

UK project lead Ben Stappers, Professor of Astrophysics at The University of Manchester, said: “Either possibility for the nature of the companion is exciting.

“A pulsar–black hole system will be an important target for testing theories of gravity and a heavy neutron star will provide new insights in nuclear physics at very high densities.”

More:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/astronomers-discover-a-mysterious-object-in-the-milky-way/ar-AA1nbXC5