Astronomers detect mysterious burst of energy from a galaxy far, far away
Intense flash of radio waves is more than 10bn years old and has travelled through ‘approximately 80% of cosmic history’ A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, a mysterious flash of energy was released into the universe. Astronomers have now detected that flash, a burst of radio waves which travelled for more than 10bn years before reaching Earth – what they believe to be the most distant…
An intense flash of radio waves, a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, has been detected by astronomers. The flash, a burst of radio waves traveling for over 10 billion years, has been identified as the most distant fast radio burst (FRB) ever recorded. FRBs emit as much energy in milliseconds as the sun does in months or years, and have puzzled scientists since their discovery in 2007.
This particular burst, named FRB 20240304B, originated when the universe was approximately 3 billion years old, meaning it has traveled through "approximately 80% of cosmic history". Detected by the MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa and identified as originating from a young, very small galaxy that formed stars rapidly with few metals, the burst provides valuable insights into the early universe.
The researchers believe this burst could help map unseen matter in the distant universe, as FRBs are affected by the particles they travel through, allowing scientists to quantify unseen matter.
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