GCRT J1745−3009

GCRT J1745−3009 is a Galactic Center radio transient (GCRT), or bursting low-frequency radio source which lies in the direction of the Galactic Center.

[1] A group of astronomers from Sweet Briar College and the Naval Research Laboratory detected transient emission from two sources in 1998 while studying the Galactic Center.

They then began monitoring the region specifically looking for transient sources and detected five bursts of radio waves about 1 meter in wavelength (frequency 330 MHz) during a seven-hour period from September 30 to October 1, 2002.

The discoverers argue that if the source is further than 70 parsecs away, its high brightness temperature would require it to be powered by a coherent emission process.

[2] Models proposed by others include a nulling pulsar,[4] a pair of orbiting neutron stars,[6] a radio-emitting white dwarf,[7] and a pulsar precessing with a period of 77 minutes.