At a glanceThe researchers observed a repeating radio source and considered a highly magnetized stellar remnant. 'Unusual' described the observation; it was not proof of an artificial signal.
What the researchers saw
Curtin University's January 27, 2022 account describes a source producing bursts of radio energy about three times an hour. The team was led by Natasha Hurley-Walker at the Curtin node of the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research. It observed bright, highly polarized radio emission.
The word 'radio' refers to a part of the electromagnetic spectrum, not necessarily to a human-made broadcast. An object becoming bright to a radio telescope is also different from becoming visibly bright to an observer looking at the night sky.
Source [1]Observation and interpretation
The team considered a neutron star or white dwarf with an extremely powerful magnetic field as possible explanations. Curtin's 2022 research report identifies the source as GLEAM-X J1627 and refers to the Nature paper on its unusually slow periodic emission.
A proposed class of object is an interpretation of data, not the data itself. The measured repetition and polarization are evidence researchers can compare with models. Explaining why the source was surprising does not require turning an unsettled classification into a claim that no natural explanation exists.
Source [1] Source [2]Following the scientific question
A useful follow-up would ask what later observations found, whether the repetition continued, and whether a model accounts for the observed properties. Those are testable questions. The dramatic adjective in an old headline is not a substitute for them.
Our Hubble explainer looks at another part of observational astronomy: the spacecraft systems needed to collect data reliably. The Science section links to newer discoveries without making this 2022 report look newly announced.
Source [2]