Stellar Rosetta Stone unlocks mystery of galactic radio signals
Astronomers identify a tight white dwarf–red dwarf binary, ASKAP J1745−5051, as the source of certain long-period galactic radio transients. Magnetic interactions in the system generate regular radio bursts and accretion-driven X-ray emission, offering a 'stellar Rosetta Stone' to decode these signals and help distinguish their origins, while providing a natural laboratory for extreme plasma and magnetic-field physics.