A mysterious, powerful explosion has been detected beyond the Milky Way, and scientists are unable to explain it (video).

A mysterious one-time burst of X-ray radiation and energy, generated by an unknown object beyond the Milky Way, has left astronomers baffled. This enigmatic cosmic explosion was identified in archival data from the Chandra telescope. The study is published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, as reported by Space.

This discovery was made when astronomers examined the archived data from the Chandra space telescope and found that five years ago the observatory recorded an unusual outburst of energy and radiation. The source of this cosmic explosion remains unknown, potentially indicating a completely new phenomenon.

The bright X-ray flare lasted only 10 seconds before rapidly fading away. Astronomers have labeled this explosion XRT 200515, and it exhibits unusual characteristics that differ from previously detected similar X-ray flares in the cosmos beyond the Milky Way.

Scientists believe this could be the first X-ray burster (a source of bright X-ray radiation) identified in the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy. X-ray bursters are defined as a binary system consisting of an extremely dense small neutron star and a regular star.

In this case, the neutron star uses its intense gravity to draw in material from the neighboring star. When too much stolen matter accumulates on the surface of the neutron star, a thermonuclear explosion occurs. This results in a bright burst of X-ray radiation accompanied by a powerful energy release.

Additionally, scientists speculate that XRT 200515 could be a rare X-ray outburst originating from a magnetar. These are neutron stars with the strongest magnetic fields in the universe. In a fraction of a second, magnetars can emit vast amounts of energy and radiation.

However, there is another hypothesis that is particularly intriguing. Scientists believe that XRT 200515 could represent an entirely new astronomical phenomenon, indicating an unknown type of cosmic explosion.

Astronomers plan to continue investigating this mysterious X-ray burst to locate its source, which may lead to the discovery of a truly previously unknown phenomenon in space.