Astronomers traced a powerful radio burst 8 billion light-years away—one of the most distant ever found.
Key Takeaways:
- Astronomers pinpointed the origin of a deep-space fast radio burst (FRB) nearly 8 billion light-years away.
- This is the second-ever non-repeating FRB to be traced back to its home galaxy.
- A Russian observatory also detected nine more FRBs, including just the third known repeating one.
- These mysterious signals may come from neutron stars, magnetars, or even extraterrestrial intelligence.
- Future telescopes like the Deep Synoptic Array (2021) will help scientists uncover the true nature of FRBs.
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Since 2007, astronomers have been detecting strange, ultra-powerful radio signals from deep space. These signals, called fast radio bursts (FRBs), last only milliseconds but carry immense energy. While their exact origins remain unknown, recent breakthroughs have allowed scientists to trace them back to specific galaxies.
In an exciting week for FRB research, astronomers announced several major discoveries. A team using CalTech’s Owens Valley Radio Observatory (OVRO) in California identified and traced a non-repeating FRB, named FRB 190523, back to a galaxy 8 billion light-years away. This makes it one of the most distant FRBs ever located.
This discovery follows a similar finding by an Australian team just days earlier. They traced another non-repeating FRB back to a galaxy 4 billion light-years away. Additionally, Russian astronomers detected nine more FRBs, including a rare repeating one—only the third ever found.
What’s Causing These Mysterious Signals?
Scientists still don’t know exactly what produces FRBs. Possible explanations include extreme cosmic phenomena like neutron stars, magnetars, or even highly advanced alien civilizations. The key difference between repeating and non-repeating FRBs might provide clues to their nature.
The CalTech team noted that FRB 190523 came from a Milky Way-like galaxy, unlike the first known repeating FRB (FRB 121102), which originated from a small dwarf galaxy. This suggests that FRBs can form in many different types of galaxies, making their origins even more mysterious.
With the upcoming Deep Synoptic Array telescope set to open in 2021, scientists hope to detect and trace even more FRBs, bringing us closer to solving one of astronomy’s greatest puzzles.
Lead researcher Vikram Ravi summed up the excitement: “Astronomers have been chasing FRBs for a decade now, and we’re finally drawing a bead on them.”
Whatever is producing these signals, one thing is clear—FRBs have been traveling billions of years to reach us. If they were sent by aliens, they’d be from an incredibly ancient civilization.
