Mysterious dark objects are blocking cosmic timekeepers in deep space

Scientists have noticed the presence of mysterious and massive invisible bodies moving around in deep space, but they aren't exactly sure what they are. They believe these could be anything - from dark matter to white dwarfs or brown dwarfs, or something else entirely that is not yet known to man. These bodies were discovered rather unknowingly while detecting the light pulses emitted by pulsars. They found that something was blocking the pulses, triggering the theory that something was lurking around the pulsars, and thus in our galaxy, and maybe even beyond.

Pulsars are the remains of dead stars and are known to be highly accurate cosmic timekeepers. They are highly magnetised and are like cosmic lighthouses, spinning in deep space while emitting extremely steady flashes of light. These pulses are extremely consistent and so are the best timekeepers in the entire universe. These pulses are capable of measuring time with atomic-level accuracy and are also used to observe gravitational waves. However, recently, scientists noticed that these pulses sometimes become erratic.

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How did they discover the anomaly?

Rotating rapidly, pulsars emit beams of electromagnetic radiation that cover vast expanses of space. As said earlier, they are steady, consistent and predictable. Upon intersection with Earth, these pulses turn into radio waves. Due to the consistency, pulsars are ideal for probing the gravitational environment of the Milky Way and testing the effects of gravitational fields on time. Researchers monitor the timing of these pulses, and even the slightest change might mean that a massive object might be passing between the pulsar and Earth.

Scientists base the above theory on general relativity, according to which a gravitational field affects the passing of time. The time a pulse takes to reach Earth will change if a massive object passes in front of a pulsar. This delay can be as minute as 10 microseconds if an object the size of the sun passes in front of it.

So what are these objects?

Professor John LoSecco from the University of Notre Dame says he has been "warned not to call them planets, not to call them dark matter, just call them mass concentrations" as you can’t determine what they are by simply looking at the radio. These masses could be brown dwarfs, white dwarfs, or another unknown object,he says.

These objects can comprise dark matter, and if that is the case, then scientists can learn more about the one thing that has eluded human beings till now.