A radio signal from 8 billion years ago reaches Earth
In a strange cosmic phenomenon that may change much of life on Earth, astronomers in Australia discovered a mysterious explosion of radio waves that took 8 billion years to reach Earth.
A CNN report in English revealed that the fast radio explosion is one of the most distant and energetic explosions ever observed.
Scientists know fast radio bursts, or so-called "FRBs", as "these fast cosmic flashes coming from distant points across the universe." They were first discovered in 2007, and since then, hundreds of them have been discovered.
According to reports, astronomers expressed their hope that future radio telescopes will enable... Currently being built in South Africa and Australia, it can detect thousands of fast radio bursts at greater distances.
What does it mean for radio waves to reach Earth from space?
According to a study published in the journal Science, the explosion, called FRB 20220610A, lasted less than two miles per second, but in that fraction of a second, the equivalent of the active solar emissions over 30 years was released.
In Western Australia, astronomers discovered the explosion in June 2022, and were able to determine where it originated. Radio telescopes helped astronomers track these rapid cosmic flashes.
The research team tracked the source of the explosion, and said that it appears to be “a group of two or three galaxies in the process of merging, interacting, and forming new stars.”
Regarding the importance of this strange discovery, and its ability to change the form of life on the surface of the Earth, scientists believe that fast radio explosions may be a unique method that can be used to “weigh” the universe by measuring the matter between galaxies whose fate is still unknown.
Specifically, the study’s co-author, Ryan Shannon, a professor at Swinburne University of Technology in Australia, said in a statement published by Western media, including CNN: “We believe that the missing matter is hiding in intergalactic space. "But it may be so hot and widespread that it's impossible to see using normal techniques."
“Fast radio bursts sense this ionized matter,” Shannon continued. “Even in almost completely empty space, they can see all the electrons. "This allows us to measure the amount of stuff between galaxies."
He added: "While we still do not know what causes these massive bursts of energy, the paper confirms that fast radio bursts are common events in the universe, and that we will be able to use them to detect intergalactic matter, and better understand the structure of the universe."
Source: websites