A Radio Signal From Inside an Ancient Star Cluster Stuns Scientists
Scientists have received proof of mass in a nearby star cluster, which opens a world of possibilities in their research. This proof has come from a radio image, created by experts with the use of signals received from an ancient star cluster known as 47 Tucanae, Indy100 reported. All the findings regarding this radio image have been published in The Astrophysical Journal.
The whole operation was facilitated by the astronomers of CSIRO’s Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA), Indy100 reported.
Masses placed in celestial bodies are capable of sending radio waves, which can be intercepted by radio telescopes, Live Science reported. In this case, the signals from 47 Tucanae were intercepted by a radio telescope in the custody of ATCA. Thereafter the experts in ATCA used the signals to map out the star cluster and its inner machinations.
The radio image is the most 'sensitive' one created by experts to this date of 47 Tucanae, Indy100 reported. Through the use of high-end equipment and methods, scientists were able to create their most accurate image of the star cluster.
47 Tucanae is an old, giant ball of stars placed close to the Milky Way galaxy, Indy100 reported. According to many experts, the cluster represents signs of the early universe. It is visible to the naked eye from the earth and was first documented back in the 1700s.
"They're incredibly dense, with tens of thousands to millions of stars packed together in a sphere... It has over a million stars and a very bright, very dense core." Dr Bahramian, from the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) in Australia, shared about the star cluster, Indy100 reported.
Experts in ACTA have come down to two possibilities about the source of the radio signal, Indy100 reported. The first is a black hole with a mass, which excites them as it would make the discovery one of a kind.
Lead author, Dr. Alessandro Paduano explained, "The first is that 47 Tucanae could contain a black hole with a mass somewhere between the supermassive black holes found in the centers of galaxies and the stellar black holes created by collapsed stars. While intermediate-mass black holes are thought to exist in globular clusters, there hasn’t been a clear detection of one yet. If this signal turns out to be a black hole, it would be a highly significant discovery and the first ever radio detection of one inside a cluster."
Experts in ACTA also believe that the signal might have come out of a pulsar, a rotating neutron star. "A pulsar this close to a cluster center is also a scientifically interesting discovery, as it could be used to search for a central black hole that is yet to be detected," Dr Paduano said.