The Arecibo Observatory of the University of Puerto Rico has made a surprising discovery in recent weeks. Specifically, the detection of strange radio waves 11 light years away whose origin has no known explanation. It has occurred in the environment of a star, the red dwarf Ross 128.
It all started during a scientific campaign aimed at observing brown dwarf stars that have planets in their orbit, between April and May 2017. Observations that could provide information on the radiation and magnetic environment around these stars ; or even detect the presence of new planets. The observation was being carried out on different brown dwarfs: Ross 128, Gliese 436,, Wolf 359, HD 95735, BD +202465, V * RY Sex and K2-18. Only Gliese 436 and K2-18.
Two weeks after these observations, the scientists noticed that there were some very peculiar signals in the 10-minute dynamic spectrum they obtained from Ross 128 , observed on May 12. The signals consisted of broadband non-polarized quasi-periodic pulses with very strong dispersion characteristics.
What is the explanation? It is not easy. According to Professor Abel Méndez, director of the Planetary Habitability Laboratory at the University of Puerto Rico: “the signals are not local radio frequency interference (RFI) , since they only occur in the environment of Ross 128 and not in that of other stars. Observations of other stars immediately before and after show nothing similar. “
Where do these emissions come from?
Scientists do not know the origin of these signals, but there are three possible explanations.
The first of these is that Ross 128’s emissions are similar to solar flares that occur in other stars, such as our sun: type II solar flares. Second, that the emissions come from another object more distant , but which enters the field of view of Ross 128. Finally, that the emissions explode from a high-orbit satellite , since low-orbit satellites move rapidly out of field of view.
However, none of these explanations fully convince researchers, as each poses problems.
For example, type II solar flares occur at much lower frequencies ; meanwhile, the scattering of these emissions suggests a much more distant source , or a denser electron field (eg, the stellar atmosphere). Also, there are not many nearby objects in the field of view of Ross 128 and scientists have never seen satellites capable of emitting bursts like that.
Whenever phenomena occur without a clear explanation in the universe, the human mind tends to haunt the idea that an intelligent civilization alien to our own is responsible for such events. The truth is that, as things are at the moment, the possibility that the radio emissions come from an extraterrestrial object cannot be ruled out until a plausible explanation is found for what is happening in the environment of Ross 128.
“We have a mystery here and the three main explanations are as good as any at the moment,” in Méndez’s words.
The team continues to investigate the environment of the red dwarf, and hopes to find the source of these emissions soon.
References:
‘Strange Signals from the Nearby Red Dwarf Star Ross 128’. Planetary Habitability Laboratory PHL.
