Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Swipe for next article

Independent Bulletin homepage

Download our
Social Partner

We are 8 logo (opens in a new tab)

Bizarre shockwave comes out of dead star leaving astronomers confused

‘We found something never seen before and, more importantly, entirely unexpected,’ scientist says — ‘We found something never seen before and, more importantly, entirely unexpected,’ scientist says (ESO/K. Ilkiewicz and S. Scaringi)

Astronomers have observed an unprecedented and inexplicable shockwave emanating from a dead star, challenging current scientific understanding.
The phenomenon was detected around a star named RX J0528+2838, located 730 light-years away, which orbits the center of our galaxy.
Scientists, including Simone Scaringi from Durham University, expressed surprise as dead stars are not expected to produce such powerful outflows.
The persistent wave suggests the dead star has been emitting material for at least 1,000 years, hinting at an unknown energy source.
This discovery, published in Nature Astronomy, prompts further research, with hopes that the upcoming Extremely Large Telescope will help unravel the mystery.

Astronomers shocked as inexplicable ‘wave’ comes out of dead star — In full