Australian scientists say they have discovered an unknown spinning object in the Milky Way that they claim is unlike anything seen before. The object – first discovered by a university student – has been observed to release a huge burst of radio energy for a full minute every 18 minutes. Objects that pulse energy in the universe are often documented. But researchers say something that turns on for a minute is highly unusual.

The team is working to understand more. The object was first discovered by Curtin University Honours student Tyrone O’Doherty in a region of the Western Australian outback known as the Murchison Widefield Array, using a telescope and a new technique he had developed. Mr O’Doherty was part of a team led by astrophysicist Dr Natasha Hurley-Walker, from the Curtin University node of the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR).(BBC)…[+]