Study Findings: A Binary Model of Long-Period Radio Transients and White Dwarf Pulsars

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Credit: Casey Reed, NASA

Nature Astronomy abstract of study findings:

Long-period radio transients (LPTs) represent a recently uncovered class of Galactic radio sources exhibiting minutes to hours periodicities and highly polarized pulses of seconds to minutes duration. Their phenomenology does not fit exactly in any other class, although it might resemble that of radio magnetars or white dwarf (WD) pulsars. Two LPTs with confirmed multi-wavelength counterparts have now been identified as WD – M dwarf binaries. Moreover, WD pulsars (also WD – M dwarf systems), such as AR Scorpii and J1912−44, are known to exhibit short-period pulsations in hour-timescale orbits. Here we investigate the longest-lived LPT known, GPM J1839−10. We use a 36-year timing baseline to infer an ~8.75-h orbital period from radio data alone, and we show that it can be modelled in the same geometric framework as has been proposed for WD pulsars. Radio emission is triggered when the magnetic axis of a rotating WD intersects the wind from its companion, which naturally predicts the peculiar pulse modulation. Applying this to the WD pulsar J1912−44 successfully reproduces the emission profile and geometry as well. Our results indicate analogous emission-site geometries in these related classes of binary system, a possibility we extend to the broader LPT and WD pulsar population.

Citation: Horváth, C., Rea, N., Hurley-Walker, N. et al. A binary model of long-period radio transients and white dwarf pulsars. Nat Astron (2026).

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-025-02760-y

Study-related stories:

The Conversation – “Puzzling Slow Radio Pulses are Coming from Space. A New Study Could Finally Explain Them”

The Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia – “A Binary Star System Explains Mysterious Radio Pulses Across the Milky Way”

Sci.News – “Sporadic Radio Pulses Traced to White Dwarf-Red-Dwarf Binary System”

Artemis II Mission Delayed by NASA

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Image (Credit): NASA’s Artemis II mission preparations at Launch Complex 39B as of Thursday, January 29, 2026. (NASA/Jim Ross)

The cold weather on the East Coast continues to cause problems, this time for NASA and its planned launch of the Artemis II mission, which will take astronauts around the Moon. Originally scheduled for February 6th, the mission is being delayed two more days until February 8th to allow NASA more time for its wet dress rehearsal, otherwise known as its comprehensive pre-launch check. In the meantime, the four astronauts assigned to the mission will remain in quarantine.

Earlier today, NASA stated:

Over the past several days, engineers have been closely monitoring conditions as cold weather and winds move through Florida. Managers have assessed hardware capabilities against the projected forecast given the rare arctic outbreak affecting the state and decided to change the timeline. Teams and preparations at the launch pad remain ready for the wet dress rehearsal. However, adjusting the timeline for the test will position NASA for success during the rehearsal, as the expected weather this weekend would violate launch conditions.

It has already been an unusual winter, so none of this is a great surprise.

Fingers crossed for some warmer weather so NASA can complete this mission and then eventually land humans on the Moon once again with the next mission – Artemis III.

Pic of the Week: 40 Years Since the Challenger Shuttle Disaster

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Image (Credit): The Challenger Shuttle crew from left to right – Teacher-in-Space payload specialist Sharon Christa McAuliffe; payload specialist Gregory Jarvis; and astronauts Judith A. Resnik, mission specialist; Francis R. (Dick) Scobee, mission commander; Ronald E. McNair, mission specialist; Mike J. Smith, pilot; and Ellison S. Onizuka, mission specialist. (NASA)

This week’s image shows the seven members of the Challenger Shuttle crew who perished less than two minutes into their flight on January 18, 1986. NASA determined that a leak in one of two Solid Rocket Boosters ignited the main liquid fuel tank.

Following the disaster, President Ronald Reagan had this to say:

I’ve always had great faith in and respect for our space program, and what happened today does nothing to diminish it. We don’t hide our space program. We don’t keep secrets and cover things up. We do it all up front and in public. That’s the way freedom is, and we wouldn’t change it for a minute. We’ll continue our quest in space. There will be more shuttle flights and more shuttle crews and, yes, more volunteers, more civilians, more teachers in space. Nothing ends here; our hopes and our journeys continue. I want to add that I wish I could talk to every man and woman who works for NASA or who worked on this mission and tell them: “Your dedication and professionalism have moved and impressed us for decades. And we know of your anguish. We share it.’‘

You can learn more about each of the crew members at this NASA site.

Television: Blade Runner 2099 Coming in 2026

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Credit: Gollancz

It seems two movies covering Philip K. Dick’s novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? was not enough, so an entire television series is being readied by Amazon Prime for release this year.

Of course, Amazon Prime has been talking about this series since at least 2022, with the Motion Picture Association stating back then:

Blade Runner 2099 will no doubt continue these storylines, but considering it’s set a full 50 years after Villeneuve’s film, you can expect entirely new characters, plot points, and environments. Amazon has now proven itself successful working on a massively scaled genre series with the current success of its most ambitious project to date, Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Blade Runner 2099 will provide the streamer with another major opportunity to continue the story of an already hugely popular franchise, with a fan base no less fervent than those who love Lord of the Rings.

I am not so sure that Amazon Prime’s Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is a good comparison since it was not a great success. Forbes magazine called it a flop, noting that:

Just under two-thirds of all Rings Of Power viewers quit watching the show before the finale, missing out on some truly ghastly television in the process. The big question I have is: Out of all the viewers who did stick around for all eight episodes, how many were hate-watching?

It also doesn’t help that (1) Blade Runner 2049 was a flop at movie theaters and (1) the main star in this new television series, Michelle Yeoh, was part of an already discussed movie flop last year with Star Trek: Section 31. Given that Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh did well in the series Star Trek: Discovery, I blame the film creators more than the actors.

The good news is that Ridley Scott will be back at the helm on this new series. Denis Villeneuve gave us the Blade Runner 2049 film. While he was brilliant with the two Dune movies he crafted from the books, for some reason he could not make it work when expanding on another director’s work.

I am not seeing any specific premiere date, but the industry noise seems to be pretty upbeat about a 2026 release.

The odds are not in Amazon Prime’s favor, yet I am rooting as much as anyone else that this series is successful.

If You Happen to be in Kentucky…

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If you happen to be in Kentucky in late February, you may want to visit Thomas More University’s Observatory for a special lecture on astronomy. The lecture is titled “Please Stop Letting Astronomers Name Things,” and it will occur on Saturday, February 21st at 6pm.

Here is the write up for the talk:

From planetary nebulae to spaghettification, astronomers have a long tradition of giving confusing, misleading, or downright silly names to serious physical phenomena. This talk takes a humorous tour through the best and worst examples of astronomical naming. Along the way, we’ll see how names can clarify ideas, confuse students, and occasionally make astronomers cringe.

Maybe the lecturer will discuss oddly named objects such as the star named Gomez’s Hamburger or the Spirograph Nebula.

It sounds like an interesting lecture, and additional lectures are scheduled through the spring.