Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT

A mysterious object is beaming radio waves into the Milky Way

The emissions profile measured on Earth does not match that of any known type of space body.
Illustration of an irregular radio source over Earth

Radio waves from an unknown source (white circle; artist’s illustration) near the Galactic Centre have been recorded by observatories in Australia and South Africa. Credit: Sebastian Zentilomo/University of Sydney

Astronomers have detected an intermittent source of radio waves near the centre of the Galaxy that doesn’t seem to fit the profile of any known astrophysical phenomenon1.

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Get just this article for as long as you need it

$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Nature 598, 543 (2021)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-02836-5

References

  1. Wang, Z. et al. Astrophys. J. 920, 45 (2021).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Subjects

Latest on:

Nature Careers

Jobs

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing

Search

Advanced search

Quick links