On Wednesday, researchers announced the discovery of a new astronomical enigma. The new object, GPM J1839–10, behaves a bit like a pulsar, sending out regular bursts of radio energy. But the physics that drives pulsars means that they’d stop emitting if they slowed down too much, and almost every pulsar we know of blinks at least once per minute.
GPM J1839–10 takes 22 minutes between pulses. We have no idea what kind of physics or what kind of objects can power that.
22 minute pulses? Someone out there is playing through Outer Wilds.
Road trip! Let’s go check it out!
Spin on the Y axis? We wouldn’t see what isn’t shot at us.
It’s the road crew lights that the Vogons put up whenever they are about to put in a new hyperspace bypass.
Has anyone seen my towel?
It’s our galactic smoke detector signaling that it needs a new battery.
