Powerful pulses of radio waves coming from galactic center

Scientists at the Very Large Array have detected extremely strong radio pulses that are emanating with regularity from the center of the galaxy. So far they have ruled out things like pulsars as the source of these pulses.

www.newscientist.com...

"A mystery object near the centre of our galaxy is sending out powerful pulses of radio waves. It is unlike any known source.
A team of astronomers led by Scott Hyman of Sweet Briar College, Virginia, US, detected the mysterious source using the Very Large Array radio telescope in New Mexico.
The pulses are coming from a spot just to one side of the galactic centre. Each pulse lasts about 10 minutes, and they repeat regularly every 77 minutes. If, as the researchers think, the source is near the centre of the Milky Way, it would be one of the most powerful emitters in the galaxy. The shape and timing of the pulses rules out most known sources, such as radio pulsars."


Though I assume that it will turn out that these are being produced by some unknown type of pulsar or magnetar -- or perhaps one of the black holes at the galactic center(?) -- it's fun to think that they are actually the product of some sort of ultra-advanced alien race.

I could just be the black hole at the center that goobles stuff up and has to burp frequently.

This is extremley interesting...I'm very suprised that there aren't more reponses to this. It states

[The object could be a magnetar - a neutron star with an ultra-strong magnetic field

The operative word there being could. They don't know what it is!

It could be the central black hole, but burping usually doesn't happen at these exact regualr clock intervals as the external feedstock tends to com in various quantities and intervals and tend to be associated with gamma ray bursts as well...

Neutronstars do have that regualr interval but not that power output. Magnetars have that power but have more irregular "earthquake" outbursts due to tension building and suddenly collapsing fieldllines.

Personally, I put my 2 cents on the really enormous magnetic field around the central black hole of our milkyway, possibly generating inductiion currents in the magnetic fields of nearby stars, just like happens to the moon IO floating in Jupiters magnetosphere, this process, known as the IO fluxtube has been a huge source of strong radiosignals as well. I could imagine that the numbers of 10 and 77 minutes could tell us something about the possible rotational speed and the axial precession of the black hole, together with gravitational and density estimates of the center one could get an idea what huge monster we might be dealing.

Since the IO fluxtube has a power output of 3 Trillion watt and constantly puts 1 million ampere through this moon, we see why IO has so much vulcanism , its being toasted on the electric chair....Likewise an interesting implication could be that stars in relative close orbitti of a huge black hole will
get inducted a lot of current, producing extra heat and have this star mature faster and die faster, or even prolong the life of a white dwarf , allowing fusions to happen eventhough the self-generated pressure/heat of the white dwarf would no longer support it.


[edit on 2-3-2005 by Countermeasures]

Oh my gosh...could this be it. How exciting...just think within days we might figure out that we are actually reciveing the first alien contact. Are other satellite/antenna arrays focusing in on this?

Get all those SETI crunchers on that message and get Jody foster overhere!

[edit on 2-3-2005 by Countermeasures]

I think this is rather exciting also. Very surprised to see the lack of responses. I suppose we are all just speechless.

Frankely I do not know what to say yet. I would rather wait for more confirmation. I agree with the people that said it may be the central Black hole, and countermeasures laid out a very likely scenario, but will we know for sure who knows. I hope we find out, and I also hope its not natural either.

We do need confirmation. Probally a black hole in the center of the galaxy, could be aliens, but what are we gonna do if they are? We've got NO way of telling.
Be very interesting to find out what it is...

aw shoot Looks like they've ruled out that it might be "first contact".

However, it is a previously undiscovered celestial body.

www.cnn.com...

All this space topic and words like Neutronstars, Magnetars, magnetosphere, IO fluxtube gravitational, vulcanism just confuse me

I do find it intresting that the signal last 10min and happens every 77min. Its like its some sort of deliberate message but what is the message?

Awww, I hate it when this happens...

Too bad, I wish just once we had some form of contact.

But they'd only contact us if they wanted to find us aswell, if they wern't desprate or didn't care, they could ignore us...

Maybe they have us on "ignore"

I find it interesting there were only 5 bursts. 5 bursts 10 minutes long every 77 minutes. I wonder if there is any significance.

maybe someone forgot to turn their TV off or something on another earth...

Originally posted by Die Trying
I do find it intresting that the signal last 10min and happens every 77min. Its like its some sort of deliberate message but what is the message?

It's a billboard for 10-77, the inter-gallactic equivalent of our 7-11. They have great black hole burgers and they never close.

"It's a billboard for 10-77, the inter-gallactic equivalent of our 7-11. They have great black hole burgers and they never close."


mmmmm, black hole burgers with xtra intergalactic mayo. oh yea



[edit on 3/5/2005 by baaronhaile]

Originally posted by Nexus
But they'd only contact us if they wanted to find us aswell, if they wern't desprate or didn't care, they could ignore us...

No that's not true at all...

The most obviouse way of contacting any other inteligent life in our galaxy would be to use the Central Black Hole as a way of transmitting a message that would propigate around the entire galaxy.

doing it this way means you don't have to know the location of the recieving party.

However, for a civilisation to have the technology to do this means they are fqar more advanced than we are and also they are located close to our Galactic Centre....

It would be interesting to recieve such a signal but unfortunatly we are unable to reply as it would take litrally millions and millions of years... )

Neon.

This is very interesting,

10minutes long every 77minutes... thats a very regular signal.

Would'nt something of this type be irregular?


Vorta