- Top Trader Says Bitcoin (BTC) Flashing 2020-Style Accumulation Prior to Breaking Out to New All-Time Highs The Daily Hodl
- Bitcoin and Ethereum Prices Are Heading to these Levels Next Week! Here’s What Traders can Expect Coinpedia Fintech News
- LBank Breaks Down Bitcoin’s Double-Digit Price Surge CryptoSlate
- Trader Who Nailed 2022 Bitcoin Bottom Says BTC Disbelief Rally Is Underway – Here Are His Targets The Daily Hodl
- The Bitcoin Rally Continues: Why $34K is the Next Target For BTC Price Coinpedia Fintech News
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Tag Archives: Flashing
Videos captured a fireball flashing across the Toronto skyline before it struck Earth near Niagara Falls
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A fireball lit up a neighborhood and passed over Toronto early Saturday morning.
-
The object’s impact on Earth was predicted, marking the sixth time in history that has occurred.
-
The European Space Agency said such detection technology for small objects is improving.
A vibrant fireball that flashed across the night sky in the early hours of Saturday morning passed over the skyline of Toronto, Canada, before colliding with Earth near Niagara Falls.
The fireball was captured in several videos, including one that showed it appearing to pass by the city’s CN Tower.
Another video, taken from a security camera at the front door of a home, showed the fireball light up the entire sky over the neighborhood before zooming past.
The European Space Agency said the event marked only the sixth time in history the impact of a space object with Earth was successfully predicted. The agency said while most asteroid collisions with Earth are only discovered after the fact from evidence like craters, the number of occasions in which a space rock is detected before it strikes is growing.
In fact, all six detections have taken place since 2008, according to ESA, which said continued improvement in sky scanning telescopes will likely make detection of smaller objects — which frequently strike Earth — more common.
Large asteroids, on the other hand, are much easier to spot.
Saturday’s fireball was anticipated by amateur and professional astronomers in the hours before it struck. The Minor Planet Center, which monitors asteroids, said a fast-moving object was detected by the Mount Lemmon Survey near Tucson, Arizona, triggering a “warning of an imminent impact.”
The MPC said seven observatories were able to spot the object before it entered the Earth’s atmosphere at around 3:27 a.m. ET over Brantford, Ontario. The object was less than 1 meter in size, according to the ESA.
The term fireball is used to refer to exceptionally bright meteors, commonly called shooting stars, that can be seen over a wide area. “Objects causing fireballs are usually not large enough to survive passage through the Earth’s atmosphere intact, although fragments, or meteorites, are sometimes recovered on the ground,” according to NASA.
Mike Hankey of the American Meteor Society told The New York Times its possible meteorites — debris from a space object — from Saturday’s event could be discovered near Niagara Falls.
Read the original article on Business Insider
Videos captured a fireball flashing across the Toronto skyline before it struck Earth near Niagara Falls
-
A fireball lit up a neighborhood and passed over Toronto early Saturday morning.
-
The object’s impact on Earth was predicted, marking the sixth time in history that has occurred.
-
The European Space Agency said such detection technology for small objects is improving.
A vibrant fireball that flashed across the night sky in the early hours of Saturday morning passed over the skyline of Toronto, Canada, before colliding with Earth near Niagara Falls.
The fireball was captured in several videos, including one that showed it appearing to pass by the city’s CN Tower.
Another video, taken from a security camera at the front door of a home, showed the fireball light up the entire sky over the neighborhood before zooming past.
The European Space Agency said the event marked only the sixth time in history the impact of a space object with Earth was successfully predicted. The agency said while most asteroid collisions with Earth are only discovered after the fact from evidence like craters, the number of occasions in which a space rock is detected before it strikes is growing.
In fact, all six detections have taken place since 2008, according to ESA, which said continued improvement in sky scanning telescopes will likely make detection of smaller objects — which frequently strike Earth — more common.
Large asteroids, on the other hand, are much easier to spot.
Saturday’s fireball was anticipated by amateur and professional astronomers in the hours before it struck. The Minor Planet Center, which monitors asteroids, said a fast-moving object was detected by the Mount Lemmon Survey near Tucson, Arizona, triggering a “warning of an imminent impact.”
The MPC said seven observatories were able to spot the object before it entered the Earth’s atmosphere at around 3:27 a.m. ET over Brantford, Ontario. The object was less than 1 meter in size, according to the ESA.
The term fireball is used to refer to exceptionally bright meteors, commonly called shooting stars, that can be seen over a wide area. “Objects causing fireballs are usually not large enough to survive passage through the Earth’s atmosphere intact, although fragments, or meteorites, are sometimes recovered on the ground,” according to NASA.
Mike Hankey of the American Meteor Society told The New York Times its possible meteorites — debris from a space object — from Saturday’s event could be discovered near Niagara Falls.
Read the original article on Business Insider
What to do after flashing Android 13 on Pixel 6
With Android 13, Google made it so that the Pixel 6, 6 Pro, and 6a cannot reinstall Android 12 in order to address a security issue. In addressing that vulnerability, another problem might arise, and Google has released instructions on how to avoid bricking your device if you flashed Android 13.
What’s different with the Android 13 update for Pixel 6
A security vulnerability exists with the previous bootloader on the Pixel 6 series, and Android 13 makes it so that the vulnerable version associated with Android 12 cannot be reinstalled.
However, even after flashing an Android 13 factory image – which is different than sideloading an OTA image – on the Pixel 6 series and successfully updating, an Android 12 build remains on your phone. This is due to Android’s A/B (seamless) system updates, which are meant to provide redundancy:
A/B system updates use two sets of partitions referred to as slots (normally slot A and slot B). The system runs from the current slot while the partitions in the unused slot are not accessed by the running system during normal operation. This approach makes updates fault resistant by keeping the unused slot as a fallback: If an error occurs during or immediately after an update, the system can rollback to the old slot and continue to have a working system.
As such, the “inactive slot contains an older bootloader whose anti-rollback version has not been incremented.” That mismatch can cause problems if you flash your device and something fails with the install. By design, Android will try booting from the inactive slot, but that runs afoul of the vulnerability protection. Given it’s Android 12 (and the older bootloader), your phone will not turn on.
If you flashed Android 13
Google on Thursday afternoon provided instructions on how to avoid that particular issue from arising. It involves flashing the inactive slot from Android 12 to Android 13. The simplest option is sideloading an OTA image – which updates the inactive slot – but steps for using factory images are also provided.
This process is primarily aimed at those (i.e. tinkerers) who are going to reflash their devices either with a factory or custom image (built from AOSP).
Meanwhile, Google in the coming days will update the Android Flash Tool – which flashes the active slot, like fastboot – with a prompt to flash the inactive slot with the Android 13 bootloader.
If you used the Android 13 OTA
Those who sideloaded — a process with no device/data wipe — an Android 13 OTA image or accepted the on-device OTA (which is Google’s recommended install method) and don’t intend to flash (again, different from sideloading) their phones “don’t need to take any action for now.”
| Slot A | Slot B |
| Android 12 (July sec patch) | Android 12 (June) |
| Android 12 (July) | Android 13 (August) |
| Android 13 (September) | Android 13 (August) |
The company also tells us that there’s a very low chance of running into the issue for the overwhelming majority of users with locked bootloaders. The next OTA (presumably the September security patch) or sideload will update the inactive slot.
Kyle Bradshaw and Dylan Roussel contributed to this article.
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Dow Jones Futures: Market Rally Makes Powerful Move; Google Leads 7 Stocks Flashing Buy Signals
Dow Jones futures rose slightly Thursday night, along with S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq futures. The stock market rally made a strong move Thursday, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq enjoying their best gains in months while growth names continued to power higher.
X
Alcoa (AA) reported better-than-expected earnings after Thursday’s close, while also announcing a new dividend and AA stock buyback.
Microsoft stock, Nvidia (NVDA), ServiceNow (NOW) and Google parent Alphabet (GOOGL) made bullish moves from their 50-day moving averages. Freeport-McMoRan (FCX) broke higher in heavy volume while Snowflake (SNOW) cleared a handle buy point.
Alcoa stock could be actionable Friday, though it might be out of reach. The aluminum giant jumped in extended trade after earnings and shareholder return news. AA stock edged up 0.4% to 48.60 on Thursday, 4.4% above its 10-week line.
Meanwhile, several other stocks made big moves, including Upstart Holdings (UPST) and Ambarella (AMBA). But they could be seen as extended now.
Microsoft (MSFT), Nvidia, ServiceNow, Google and SNOW stock are all on IBD Leaderboard, along with Upstart. Nvidia stock is on SwingTrader. Microsoft, ServiceNow and Google stock are all IBD Long-Term Leaders. UPST stock, Taskus, Ambarella and Google are on the IBD 50. Microsoft was the IBD Stock Of The Day.
The video embedded in this article analyzed an important market day as well as Google, Nvidia and AMN Healthcare (AMN).
Dow Jones Futures Today
Dow Jones futures rose 0.2% vs. fair value. S&P 500 futures climbed 0.2%. Nasdaq 100 futures advanced 0.2%.
Remember that overnight action in Dow futures and elsewhere doesn’t necessarily translate into actual trading in the next regular stock market session.
Join IBD experts as they analyze actionable stocks in the stock market rally on IBD Live
Stock Market Rally
The stock market rally started off strong and closed near highs in a broad-based advance.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.55% in Thursday’s stock market trading. The S&P 500 index jumped 1.7%, its best gain since March. The Nasdaq composite also jumped 1.7%, its sharpest advance since May. The small-cap Russell 2000 climbed 1.4%.
Nasdaq volume was modestly higher than on Wednesday. NYSE volume was flat or perhaps a fraction higher, according to preliminary figures.
This is an important day to read The Big Picture.
The 10-year Treasury yield fell 3 basis points to 1.52%, the third straight decline, providing a tailwind for the broader market rally and especially growth names. Earnings from Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM), UnitedHealth (UNH), Bank of America (BAC) and other big banks also contributed. So did another strong gain in copper prices and oil prices, which are hitting multiyear highs.
ETFs Show Broad Gains
Among the best ETFs, the Innovator IBD 50 ETF (FFTY) rose 1.65%, while the Innovator IBD Breakout Opportunities ETF (BOUT) gained 0.9%. The iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF (IGV) advanced 1.6%. Microsoft and NOW stock are big IGV components. The VanEck Vectors Semiconductor ETF (SMH) popped 3%. Taiwan Semiconductor and Nvidia stock are key SMH components, and chip names fared well.
SPDR S&P Metals & Mining ETF (XME) edged up 0.6%, with Alcoa and FCX stock big holdings. Global X U.S. Infrastructure Development ETF (PAVE) gained 2.15%. U.S. Global Jets ETF (JETS) ascended 0.7%. SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF (XHB) jumped 2.8%. The Energy Select SPDR ETF (XLE) climbed 1.2% and the Financial Select SPDR ETF (XLF) picked up 1.7%.
Reflecting more-speculative story stocks, ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK) rallied 1.9% and ARK Genomics ETF (ARKG) 2.4%.
Five Best Chinese Stocks To Watch Now
Stocks In Buy Zones
Microsoft stock rose 2.2% to 302.75, rebounding from its 50-day line in above-average volume. On a weekly chart, MSFT stock broke a trend line. The relative strength line is just below a record high, signaling the strong Microsoft stock performance vs. the S&P 500 index. The official buy point is 305.94 from a flat base, according to MarketSmith analysis. But it’s already actionable.
Google stock climbed 2.6% to 2,823.02, retaking its 50-day line and breaking a short trend line. Volume was higher than normal. Much like MSFT stock, the internet giant is working on a flat base, with a 2,925.17 buy point. The RS line also is near a record high.
NOW stock popped 2.1% to 653.03, breaking a short trend line and still close to the 50-day line. But shares did close off highs. ServiceNow stock has a 681.20 flat-base buy point, though 670.59 is another resistance point.
Nvidia stock jumped 3.85% to 217.46, convincingly retaking the 50-day line after hitting resistance there on Oct. 8. Much like MSFT stock, an investor could find a trend line break as well. The official buy point is 230.53 from a flat base. Nvidia’s move comes as rival Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) extended Wednesday’s move above its 50-day line and toward an official buy point.
SNOW stock rose 1.3% to 332.12, clearing a 328.16 entry that could be seen as a handle on a very deep 10-month base. Shares came off their intraday highs. Volume was below average, but that follows Wednesday’s 4.8% move on the heaviest trade in weeks.
FCX stock popped 3.7% to 37.13, the third gain in above-average volume in the last four sessions. After moving back above the 50-day and 200-day lines on Wednesday, Freeport-McMoRan stock moved above Monday’s intraday high of 36.57. Investors could use that as an aggressive entry. FCX stock has jumped this week as copper prices have come on powerfully. Keep in mind that its earnings are due on Oct. 21.
Time The Market With IBD’s ETF Market Strategy
Market Rally Analysis
Usually in a market rally attempt, a few leading stocks will start to break out or flash early entries a day or two before the actual follow-through day. But this time, a slew of growth names have been actionable over several days. That’s because this has been a shallow market correction. But many growth names made impressive moves even on days when the major indexes fizzled.
Now that dichotomy may be coming to an end. The Nasdaq composite jumped above its 21-day moving average and last week’s highs, moving to just shy of its 50-day line. The S&P 500 and Dow Jones bounced back above their 21-day lines and closed just above the 50-day line.
The higher Nasdaq volume on Thursday signaled institutional support for the new market rally.
Meanwhile, leading stocks continued to do well. Some stocks are just looking actionable, while many others are already somewhat or greatly extended. While the big winners of the past week have been growth stocks, energy and financial stocks are holding up well. Some mining and metals plays are flashing buy signs or starting to set up.
The major indexes have now broken recent downtrends, and all are around their 50-day lines. Pay close attention here. Much like Microsoft, Google and Nvidia stocks over the past week, the indexes could power higher, get turned away, or pause at these levels for some time before moving significantly higher or lower.
Why This IBD Tool Simplifies The Search For Top Stocks
What To Do Now
For investors who have stayed on the sidelines in the past couple of weeks, Thursday offered a chance to start to step up their exposure. That could be through individual stocks or broad or sector ETFs.
If you already added some stocks, Thursday was an opportunity to load up further, depending on your exposure. You can continue to do so in the days ahead, assuming healthy market conditions.
But don’t chase extended stocks. A number of hot growth names have run up 10%, 15% or more in the past several days, and could be vulnerable to a pullback. Some recent winners pulled back Thursday even with the market strength overall.
Other stocks could move into position over the next few days while a number of institutional quality names such as Google stock are buyable now.
But a word of caution. The major indexes are still at key levels. Treasury yields could march higher again, weighing on growth names. Earnings season could derail the market rally or your individual holdings.
So pay attention to major indexes and pay attention to what the market is telling you right now. Don’t get locked into a bullish or bearish mindset or fixated on a specific stock. Being flexible is crucial to long-term investing success.
Please follow Ed Carson on Twitter at @IBD_ECarson for stock market updates and more.
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Dow Jones Futures Fall Amid Evergrande Fears, China Cryptocurrency Ban; Salesforce Leads 17 Stocks Flashing Buys
Dow Jones futures fell Friday morning, along with S&P 500 futures and Nasdaq futures, with Evergrande default fears ongoing and China banning all cryptocurrency transactions. Nike (NKE) and Costco earnings also were in focus.
X
The stock market rally had another strong session, with the S&P 500 joining the Nasdaq in reclaiming key support while leading stocks showed strong action. Another big batch of top stocks offered buying opportunities Thursday.
Atkore (ATKR), Salesforce.com (CRM), Dell (DELL), Darden Restaurants (DRI), Accenture (ACN), Devon Energy (DVN), Square (SQ), Denbury (DEN), O’Reilly Auto (ORLY), Moderna (MRNA), MGM Resorts (MGM), Bank of America (BAC), Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), Idexx Labs (IDXX), SVB Financial (SIVB), Microsoft (MSFT) and Google parent Alphabet (GOOGL) were all actionable, following several others on Wednesday.
CRM stock, Dell, Darden Restaurants, Devon Energy, Denbury, O’Reilly, MGM and SVB Financial were breakouts or reclaiming traditional buy points. AMD stock, Bank of America, Square, Atkore, Moderna and Idexx Labs were early entries, from rebounds above the 50-day/10-week or trend line breaks — or both. Accenture, Microsoft and Google stock are rebounding from first tests of their 10-week lines.
Costco, Nike Earnings
Costco Wholesale (COST) and Nike earnings headlined key overnight news. Costco and Nike earnings both beat views, with the former topping sales forecasts and the latter just missing.
Costco stock edged higher in overnight trade. COST stock could potentially have a buying opportunity as it bounces of its 10-week line for the first time since a June breakout.
Nike stock fell 5% in premarket action, adding to losses as executives signaled supply-chain woes and margin pressures in the current quarter.
Microsoft stock and Google are on IBD Leaderboard. Microsoft and Google stock also are on IBD Long-Term Leaders, along with IDXX stock. Square stock and Dell are on SwingTrader. Google, Atkore and MRNA stock are on the IBD 50. Dell stock was Thursday’s IBD Stock Of The Day.
The video embedded in this article analyzes the stock market rally as well as reviewing CRM stock, Atkore and Denbury.
Evergrande Debt Payment Missed
A key Evergrande unit made a debt payment to domestic bondholders on Thursday, with the deal announced Wednesday, sparking the market rebound. But Evergrande missed a Thursday deadline to make an $83 million interest payment on dollar-denominated debt. The Chinese property giant has been silent, not providing any clarity to bondholders. It’s now in a 30-day window when it can still make a payment.
China Cryptocurrency Transactions Banned
China’s central bank declared all cryptocurrency transactions illegal, promising harsh penalties.
“Financial institutions and non-bank payment institutions cannot offer services to activities and operations related to virtual currencies,” The People’s Bank of China said on its website Friday.
China didn’t outright possession of cryptocurrencies.
The news hit Bitcoin, other alt-coins and crypto-related stocks Friday morning.
Bitcoin fell 3% vs. 24 hours earlier. Ethereum and Dogecoin slumped 7%-9%. Coindesk (COIN), Marathon Digital Technology (MARA) and Square stock were among the crypto-related stocks falling.
Dow Jones Futures Today
Dow Jones futures fell 0.2% vs. fair value, with NKE stock acting as a drag. S&P 500 futures sank 0.3% while Nasdaq 100 futures lost 0.5%.
Remember that overnight action in Dow futures and elsewhere doesn’t necessarily translate into actual trading in the next regular stock market session.
Join IBD experts as they analyze actionable stocks in the stock market rally on IBD Live
Stock Market Rally
The stock market rally started with modest gains Thursday and quickly gained steam, delivering strong gains for a second straight session.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.5% in Thursday’s stock market trading. The S&P 500 index gained 1.2%. CRM stock was easily the top Dow performer and a leading S&P 500 component, second only to Devon Energy.
The Nasdaq composite climbed 1%. The small-cap Russell 2000 popped 1.8%.
This is an important day to read The Big Picture.
Time The Market With IBD’s ETF Market Strategy
Among the best ETFs, the Innovator IBD 50 ETF (FFTY) jumped 2.6%, hitting a record high. The Innovator IBD Breakout Opportunities ETF (BOUT) gained 1.9%. The iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF (IGV) rose 1.6%. MSFT stock and Salesforce are major IGV components. The VanEck Vectors Semiconductor ETF (SMH) rallied 1.3%, with AMD stock a key holding.
SPDR S&P Metals & Mining ETF (XME) advanced 1.2% and the Global X U.S. Infrastructure Development ETF (PAVE) rebounded 1.8%. U.S. Global Jets ETF (JETS) popped 2.75%. SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF (XHB) edged up 0.3%. The Energy Select SPDR ETF (XLE) shot up 3.5%, with DVN stock a holding. The Financial Select SPDR ETF (XLF) moved 2.45% higher, with BAC stock a notable component.
Reflecting more-speculative story stocks, ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK) rose 1% and ARK Genomics ETF (ARKG) 0.7%. SQ stock is a top ARK Invest holding.
Five Best Chinese Stocks To Watch Now
Market Rally Analysis
The stock market rally took another big step Thursday toward regaining full strength. The Nasdaq, which reclaimed its 50-day line on Wednesday, moved above its 21-day line. The S&P 500 and Russell 2000 regained their 50-day lines, while the Dow Jones moved close to that level. Arguably all of these indexes are at or above downward-sloping trend lines, suggesting that the market is breaking its downtrend over the past few weeks.
A market rally is judged by the action of the major indexes and leading stocks. And leaders look robust. Leaders held up reasonably well during the pullback, and there have been a slew of bullish moves off key support levels, breaking trend lines or outright breakouts, with CRM stock, Dell, Atkore, Accenture and Devon Energy just a few examples. The breadth of leadership also is impressive, including chips, energy, building materials, banks and software.
FFTY hitting a record high reflects the mix of bullish moves and highfliers that barely paused.
Why This IBD Tool Simplifies The Search For Top Stocks
What To Do Now
This has been a good time to take advantage and buy top stocks from a variety of groups from bullish entries, especially if you pared exposure substantially during the recent pullback. Of course, just because this article listed 17 actionable names, that doesn’t mean taking full positions in everything from AMD stock to Square.
The market rally has had a couple of good sessions, gaining momentum on the major indexes and leading stocks. But this rebound could run out of steam. If you’re going to be nimble with your buys, stay alert and ready to exit quickly as well.
Keep building those watchlists, focusing on leaders on the cusp of buy signals.
Please follow Ed Carson on Twitter at @IBD_ECarson for stock market updates and more.
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Britney Spears announces engagement to boyfriend Sam Asghari flashing ‘one of a kind ring’
Pop artist Britney Spears announced her engagement on social media, posting a video of herself on Instagram showing off her new engagement ring.
The engagement comes after Spears has dated boyfriend Sam Asghari for four years, with manager Brandon Cohen releasing a statement saying he is proud of the couple.
“The couple made their long-standing relationship official today and are deeply touched by the support, dedication and love expressed to them,” Cohen said, noting that Spears’ new ring was designed jeweler Roman Malayev.
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“He couldn’t be happier to be involved and make this one-of-a-kind ring,” he added.
Bitcoin Is Flashing These Bullish Metrics Despite Week of Volatility, Says CryptoQuant CEO
A top executive at CryptoQuant says that he’s bullish on Bitcoin (BTC) despite the leading crypto’s rough week.
Chief executive officer Ki Young Ju of the on-chain analysis firm says that a few of Bitcoin’s fundamental metrics are showing signs of rising after a week that saw the king crypto drop nearly 15% from its high of $52,774.
Ki Young Ju tells his 245,600 Twitter followers that Bitcoin’s supply on exchanges is nearing its 2021 lows, which can be interpreted as a bullish signal as it likely decreases the risk of major sell-offs.
“BTC supply on exchanges is about to break its previous low. Hope to see another sell-side liquidity crisis on Bitcoin.”
Source: CryptoQuant
The CryptoQuant head also says crypto whales moving Bitcoin into derivative exchanges, another potentially bullish indicator.
“Whales are sending BTC to derivative exchanges from other exchanges to punt new positions or fill up margins.
If you look at the historical data, the price goes up in the long term after their accumulation. Their positions seem to be long positions.”
Ki Young Ju has previously made a claim that he believes Bitcoin will skyrocket to $100,000 this year.
“No doubt it’ll hit $100,000 this year, but in the short-term, if we wouldn’t see any significant buying pressure from Coinbase Pro, I think BTC would be bearish.”
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Something Mysterious Near The Galactic Center Is Flashing Radio Signals
As our eyes on the sky grow ever more sensitive, we’re going to find more and more things we’ve never seen before.
Such is the case for a newly discovered source of radio signals, located not far from the center of the galaxy. It’s called ASKAP J173608.2-321635, and astronomers have been unable to figure out what kind of cosmic object best fits its weird properties.
Their paper has been accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal, and is available on preprint server arXiv.
“We have presented the discovery and characterization of ASKAP J173608.2-321635: a highly-polarized, variable radio source located near the Galactic Center and with no clear multi-wavelength counterpart,” explain a team of astronomers led by Ziteng Wang of the University of Sydney in Australia.
“ASKAP J173608.2-321635 may represent part of a new class of objects being discovered through radio imaging surveys.”
ASKAP J173608.2-32163 was discovered using the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP), one of the most sensitive radio telescopes ever built, designed to peer deep into the radio Universe.
It’s already proven adept at finding things we have never seen before, such as Odd Radio Circles (we don’t know what those are, yet), undiscovered galaxies, and mysterious fast radio bursts.
ASKAP J173608.2-32163 might turn out to be a known type of cosmic object, but if it does, it could end up stretch the definition of whatever object that is.
It’s highly variable, emitting radio waves for weeks at a time, and then disappearing on rapid timescales. The signal is also highly polarized – that is, the orientation of the oscillation of the electromagnetic wave is twisted, both linearly and circularly.
ASKAP J173608.2-32163 is also quite a tricky beast to spot. The object, whatever it is, had not been seen before the ASKAP detections, made during a pilot survey of the sky to look for transient radio sources. Between April 2019 and August 2020, the signal appeared in the data 13 times.
Follow-up observations in April and July of 2020 using a different radio telescope, Murriyang in Parkes, Australia, yielded nothing. But the MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa got a hit, in February 2021. The Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) also made a detection in April 2021.
This supports and validates the ASKAP detections, but also suggests that the source is quite elusive – there were no MeerKAT or ATCA detections prior to that date. Nor did the source appear in X-ray and near-infrared observations, nor in archives of radio data collected by multiple instruments that the researchers checked.
Which leaves a pretty fascinating mystery. The polarization suggests scattering and magnetization, possibly partially due to dust and magnetic fields in the interstellar medium between us and the source, although it’s possible that the source itself is also highly magnetized.
All up, it’s really hard to figure out what the source might be. There are several types of stars that are known to vary in radio wavelengths, such as stars that flare frequently, or close binaries with active chromospheres, or that eclipse each other. The non-detection in X-ray and near-infrared wavelengths makes this unlikely though.
Flaring stars usually have X-ray emission that corresponds to the radio emission, and the vast majority of stars have ratios of near-infrared emission that should be detectable.
Nor is a pulsar likely: a type of neutron star with sweeping beams of radio light, like a cosmic lighthouse. Pulsars have regular periodicity, on a timescale of hours, and ASKAP J173608.2-32163 was detected fading, which is inconsistent with pulsars. Also, there was a three-month span with no detections, which is also inconsistent with pulsars.
X-ray binaries, gamma-ray bursts, and supernovae were also all ruled out.
However, the object does share some properties with a type of mysterious signal spotted near the galactic center. These are known as Galactic Center Radio Transients (GCRT), three of which were identified in the 2000s, and more of which are awaiting confirmation.
These sources are also yet to be explained, but they have several features in common with ASKAP J173608.2-32163.
If ASKAP J173608.2-32163 is a GCRT, ASKAP’s detection could help us find more such sources, and figure out what they are.
“Given that ASKAP J173608.2-321635 is typically not detected and can turn off on timescales from several weeks to as quickly as a day, our sparse sampling (12 epochs over 16 months) suggests that there could be other similar sources in these fields,” the researchers write.
“Increasing the survey cadence and comparing the results of this search to other regions will help us understand how truly unique ASKAP J173608.2-321635 is and whether it is related to the Galactic plane, which should ultimately help us deduce its nature.”
The research has been accepted into The Astrophysical Journal, and is available on arXiv.