The upgraded Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope near Pune has detected extreme radio flashes from a rare neutron star, marking a significant achievement for Indian radio astronomy. The discovery showcases the enhanced capabilities of the telescope following its major upgrade.

Neutron stars are the collapsed cores of massive stars that exploded as supernovae. Though only about the size of a city, they pack more mass than the Sun and spin rapidly, sweeping beams of radio waves across the sky like cosmic lighthouses. Some rare varieties produce extraordinarily intense bursts of radio emission that are difficult to catch and study.

What the upgrade changed

The Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope, operated by the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, is one of the world’s largest and most sensitive low-frequency radio telescopes. Its upgrade expanded its frequency coverage and sharpened its vision, allowing astronomers to pick up fainter and more distant signals than ever before.

The array of 30 dishes spread across the countryside near Khodad works as a single giant eye on the sky. With the upgrade, it can now probe the universe’s radio glow with unprecedented clarity, opening new windows on everything from distant galaxies to exotic stellar corpses.

Why extreme flashes matter

Extreme radio flashes from neutron stars are prized by astronomers because they carry information about the most extreme magnetic fields and densities found anywhere in nature. Studying these bursts helps scientists test the laws of physics under conditions that cannot be recreated on Earth.

Researchers say the detection demonstrates that the upgraded GMRT is now among the best instruments in the world for hunting such elusive cosmic events, and more discoveries are expected to follow.

Neutron stars come in several exotic varieties. Ordinary pulsars tick with clockwork regularity, while magnetars possess magnetic fields trillions of times stronger than Earth’s and can unleash violent outbursts. Some neutron stars are also linked to fast radio bursts, millisecond-long flashes from deep space that remain one of astronomy’s great puzzles. Pinpointing extreme flashes to a rare neutron star helps astronomers narrow down which of these cosmic engines is responsible, bringing them closer to solving the mystery.