Astronomers have discovered an eight billion-year-old radio signal.
The “fast radio blast” — identified by the acronym FRB 20220610A – lasted just a millisecond but released as much energy in a decade that our sun produces according the Science journal .
An FRB is a pulse of radio-frequency electromagnetic radiation. The first was discovered in 2007 and hundreds of these cosmic flashes have been detected since.
Many bursts are only a few microseconds long before they disappear, which makes it difficult to pinpoint their origin.
However, scientists were able to “precisely” determine where FRB 20220610A came from, study coauthor Dr. Stuart Ryder, an astronomer at Macquarie University in Australia, said in a statement.
Scientists believe the burst came from two or three galaxies merging together and forming new stars, CNN reported.
This theory is held by scientists that the bursts result from an explosion of star.
The FRB was initially detected using the Australian SKA Pathfinder, a radio telescope in the state of Western Australia.
Astronomers then used a large telescope in Chile to “search for the source galaxy” and found it to be older and farther than any other FRB located before.
Scientists believe FRBs can be used to “weigh” the universe by measuring matter between galaxies that is unaccounted for, according to CNN.
“If we count up the amount of normal matter in the universe — the atoms that we are all made of — we find that more than half of what should be there today is missing,” coauthor Ryan Shannon said.
“We think that the missing matter is hiding in the space between galaxies, but it may just be so hot and diffuse that it’s impossible to see using normal techniques.”
Shannon said FRBs “sense” ionized material and can “see” electrons, which allows scientists to “measure how much stuff is between the galaxies.”
Nearly 50 FRBs have been traced back to their origin points, according to CNN.
“The frequency of FRBs is another amazing thing,” Shannon added.
“It shows how promising the field can be.”
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