Astronomers detect mysterious burst of energy from a galaxy far, far away
News Source
โขThu, 08 Oct 2026 18:00:25 GMT
๐ฐ What Happened
Astronomers have detected what they believe is the most distant fast radio burst ever recorded. The burst, called FRB 20240304B, travelled for more than 10 billion years before reaching Earth. It was picked up by the MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa. The signal came from a galaxy far away, at a time when the universe was only about 3 billion years old. That means it was released before there was an Earth or a sun. The find more than doubles the previous distance record. The study was published in the journal Science.
๐ The Backstory
Fast radio bursts are intense flashes of radio waves. They were first discovered in 2007 and have puzzled scientists ever since. In a single millisecond, they can release as much energy as the sun does in months or years. Nobody knows exactly what causes them. Because they are so brief and come from so far away, they are very hard to catch. Scientists say this burst has travelled through roughly 80% of cosmic history.
๐ฏ Why It Matters
This distant signal helps scientists learn about the space between galaxies. It shows how far we can see, and how much there still is to understand about our universe.
Astronomers have detected what they believe is the most distant fast radio burst ever recorded. The burst, called FRB 20240304B, travelled for more than 10 billion years before reaching Earth. It was picked up by the MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa. The signal came from a galaxy far away, at a time when the universe was only about 3 billion years old. That means it was released before there was an Earth or a sun. The find more than doubles the previous distance record. The study was published in the journal Science.
Fast radio bursts are intense flashes of radio waves. They were first discovered in 2007 and have puzzled scientists ever since. In a single millisecond, they can release as much energy as the sun does in months or years. Nobody knows exactly what causes them. Because they are so brief and come from so far away, they are very hard to catch. Scientists say this burst has travelled through roughly 80% of cosmic history.
This distant signal helps scientists learn about the space between galaxies. It shows how far we can see, and how much there still is to understand about our universe.