Chandra Release - May 28, 2025

Visual Description: ASKAP J1832 

This release features two composite images of a mysterious object, possibly an unusual neutron star or white dwarf, residing near the edge of a supernova remnant. The object, known as ASKAP J1832, has been intriguing astronomers from the Chandra X-ray Observatory and Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder radio telescope with its antics and bizarre behavior.

 
Astronomers have discovered that ASKAP J1832 cycles in radio wave intensity every 44 minutes. This is thousands of times longer than pulsars, which are rapidly spinning neutron stars that have repeated variations multiple times a second. Using Chandra, the team discovered that the object is also regularly varying in X-rays every 44 minutes. This is the first time such an X-ray signal has been found in a long period radio transient like ASKAP J1832. 

 
In the primary composite image of this release, the curious object is shown in the context of the supernova remnant and nearby gas clouds. Radio data is red and X-ray sources seen with Chandra are in dark blue. The supernova remnant is the large, wispy, red oval ring occupying the lower right of the image. The curious object sits inside this ring, to our right of center; a tiny purple speck in a sea of colorful specks. The gas cloud shows infrared data from NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope and resembles a mottled green, teal blue, and golden orange cloud occupying our upper left half of the square image. 

 
The second, close-up image shows a view of the immediate area around ASKAP J1832. In this composite image, infrared data from Spitzer has been removed, eliminating the mottled cloud and most of the colorful background specks. Here, near the inside edge of the hazy red ring, the curious object resembles a bright white dot with a hot pink outer edge, set against the blackness of space. Upon close inspection, the hot pink outer edge is revealed to have three faint spikes emanating from the surface.

 
The primary and close-up images are presented both unadorned, and with labels, including fine white circles identifying ASKAP J1832.