From Verge
Bizarre radio signals seem to be coming from a small red star about 11 light-years from Earth, and astronomers aren’t exactly sure what’s causing them.Read more here: https://www.theverge.com/2017/7/17/15982656/arecibo-observatory-ross-128-red-dwarf-radio-waves-signalThe signals were first picked up in May by scientists at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. The astronomers there were observing red dwarfs — small, cool stars that are usually about half the mass of our Sun — when they picked up some unique radio waves coming from a part of the sky where a star named Ross 128 is located. The pulsing signals appeared to be coming from deep space, possibly from the red dwarf. But the wave patterns don’t really match anything the astronomers would expect from the star, leaving them stumped as to the signal’s origins. The structure of the signal suggests the waves are coming from deep space, according to Abel Méndez, director of the Planetary Habitability Laboratory at the University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo, and his team.
That’s confusing, because there’s no foolproof explanation for the source. It’s possible the signal is caused by solar flares from Ross 128, which is a very active star that flares frequently. However, radio signals from flares are usually at much lower frequencies than the ones detected by Arecibo. The waves could be coming from something else in deep space within the field of view of Ross 128. But there isn’t anything nearby. “So right now we don’t have a theory to say how this star could do this,” says Méndez.
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