> Dr Hurley-Walker said the observations match a predicted astrophysical object called an ‘ultra-long period magnetar’.
> “It’s a type of slowly spinning neutron star that has been predicted to exist theoretically,” she said.
> “But nobody expected to directly detect one like this because we didn’t expect them to be so bright.
> “Somehow it’s converting magnetic energy to radio waves much more effectively than anything we’ve seen before.”
> Dr Hurley-Walker said the observations match a predicted astrophysical object called an ‘ultra-long period magnetar’.
> “It’s a type of slowly spinning neutron star that has been predicted to exist theoretically,” she said.
> “But nobody expected to directly detect one like this because we didn’t expect them to be so bright.
> “Somehow it’s converting magnetic energy to radio waves much more effectively than anything we’ve seen before.”