Astronomers Find Mysterious Circular Objects Sending Out Radio Signals From Deep Space And They Have No Idea What They Are

Astronomers at the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder have spotted bizarre circular objects in deep space, and they have absolutely no idea what they are! Their paper, published on arXiv and also submitted for publication in Nature Astronomy, states that the objects 'do not seem to correspond to any known type of object'. Thus far four of the objects have been identified, with a string of theories emerging as to what they could possibly be.

Three of the four objects were found in a recent survey, while the fourth had lain unnoticed in a survey carried out way back in 2013. What this indicates is that the phenomena are not something that was an error in the survey itself.

Theories as to what the objects may be include, suggest that they are blasts from neutron-star merges, or that they are radio bursts or gamma-ray bursts. Others suggest that they could be jets of a radio galaxy, which we are seeing from an angle that makes them appear as circles, though this theory is being largely dismissed.

While circles often appear in astronomical observations, usually the result of supernova or planetary nebula, these theories however, are also being regarded as unlikely explanations as they do not match previously observed examples of these occurrences. This means that the circles could very well be of a completely unknown phenomenon that we as of yet do not understand.

The astronomers have named the circles 'ORC', Odd Radio Circles, an apt mythical type name given the circles unknown and mysterious nature. The team intend to continue to look for further examples while investigating the nature of these unknown beasts.

The images were captured as part of Evolutionary Map of the Universe (EMU) project which seeks to map out the deepest reaches of space and examine how stars and galaxies formed in the earliest moments of the universe. It operates across 21 countries and aims to carry out a census of 70 million galaxies giving us real insight into the earliest moments of existence. It is perhaps no surprise then that such mysterious entities have been discovered.