Astronomers detected a fast radio burst 500 million light-years away that pulses every 16 days.
Key Takeaways:
- Scientists have discovered a deep-space radio signal that repeats in a precise 16-day cycle.
- This is the first time periodicity has been detected in mysterious fast radio bursts (FRBs).
- The signal originates from a galaxy 500 million light-years away, making it the closest known FRB.
- Possible explanations include a neutron star in a binary system or an object orbiting a black hole.
- Researchers plan to track other FRBs for similar cycles, which could help reveal their true nature.
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A strange radio signal from a galaxy 500 million light-years away is pulsing on a precise 16-day cycle, according to a new study. This marks the first time astronomers have detected periodicity in a fast radio burst (FRB), a type of high-energy pulse whose origin remains unknown.
A Cosmic Mystery Unfolds
FRBs were first discovered in 2007 and have puzzled scientists ever since. Some appear only once, while others, known as “repeaters,” emit multiple bursts over time. Until now, these bursts seemed to occur randomly, but recent observations by the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment Fast Radio Burst Project (CHIME/FRB) changed that.
Between September 2018 and October 2019, CHIME tracked a repeating FRB—named FRB 180916.J0158+65—and found that it follows a strict cycle. The bursts occur for four days, then disappear for 12 days, repeating every 16.35 days like clockwork. Researchers published their findings in January on the preprint server arXiv, calling this discovery “an important clue to the nature of this object.”
The signal originates from the galaxy SDSS J015800.28+654253.0, making it the closest FRB ever detected. However, while its location is now known, its source remains a mystery.
What Could Be Causing This Signal?
Scientists believe the FRB’s cycle suggests it might be influenced by its environment. One theory proposes that the source orbits a compact object, such as a black hole, and only beams signals toward Earth at a specific point in its orbit. Another possibility is a binary system containing a massive star and a neutron star. In this model, the neutron star emits the FRB, but the bursts are periodically blocked by dense stellar winds from its companion.
Some researchers have suggested that highly magnetized neutron stars, known as magnetars, could be responsible for FRBs. However, magnetars typically rotate every few seconds, making a 16-day cycle difficult to explain.
The CHIME/FRB team is now monitoring FRB 180916.J0158+65 to uncover more details. They also hope to find similar periodic signals in other FRBs, which could help scientists finally understand what’s causing these strange bursts from deep space.
Although FRBs remain one of astronomy’s biggest mysteries, this discovery offers a major breakthrough. As new telescopes like CHIME continue to detect more details about these bizarre signals, scientists may be closer than ever to solving this cosmic puzzle.
