ASTRONOMERS DETECT A POWERFUL COSMIC OBJECT UNLIKE ANYTHING THEY’VE SEEN BEFORE
Words by Brandon Specktor
Astronomers have discovered a mysterious, flickering object in our galaxy that belches enormous amounts of energy towards Earth three times an hour. This strangely powerful object – located about 4,000 light years from the Sun – is unlike any cosmic structure ever observed. The object in question, called GLEAM-X J162759.5- 523504.3, appeared out of nowhere on a recent radio wave survey of the Milky Way. According to researchers, GLEAM-X brightened rapidly over the course of about 60 seconds, briefly becoming one of the brightest objects in the entire sky, then suddenly faded into darkness again. About 20 minutes later the object reappeared, before dimming back to nothing a minute later.