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…
Scientists have detected a powerful flash of radio waves originating from a distant galaxy, which is believed to be the most distant fast radio burst (FRB) ever recorded. The intense burst of energy traveled through roughly 80% of cosmic history before reaching Earth. Dubbed FRB 20240304B, the radio waves were observed using the MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa and later pinpointed using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
The FRB originated from a young, highly star-forming galaxy in its early stages, possessing minimal metals. This far-flung event, dating back about 10 billion years, offers scientists a unique opportunity to study the universe's early conditions and the distribution of unseen matter.
Written by urgent.news from Guardian Science's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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