Earlier in 2026, a University of Sydney PhD student traced a 1.34497-hour radio pulse to a dead star. Today, its 1.368-hour orbit explains why the bursts repeat

Earlier in 2026, a University of Sydney PhD student traced a 1.34497-hour radio pulse to a dead star. Today, its 1.368-hour orbit explains why the bursts repeat. The source is ASKAP J1745−5051, a binary system in the Milky Way containing a white dwarf and a low-mass companion. Radio observations found bursts that returned about every 1.4 hours. Optical observations then measured the movement of gas in the system and found an orbital period of 1.368 ± 0.053 hours. X-ray observations showed another cycle of about 1.32 hours. Together, these measurements connect the radio bursts with the binary orbit.How ASKAP J1745−5051 was found?ASKAP J1745−5051 was found during the Rapid ASKAP Continuum Survey. The survey was conducted with CSIRO’s Australian SKA Pathfinder in Western Australia. The survey contained about three million radio sources. Only about 100 sources showed more than 10 per cent circular polarisation.