This picture from video animation supplied by NASA in November 2020 depicts a robust X-ray burst erupting from a magnetar — a supermagnetized model of a stellar remnant referred to as a neutron star. Chris Smith, NASA, Goddard Area Flight Heart by way of Related Press
Astronomers have discovered a novel quick radio burst that they estimate to return from a galaxy 3 billion light-years away. That is solely the second time one like this has been found, in line with the Nationwide Radio Astronomy Observatory.
What's a quick radio burst? A quick radio burst, or FRB, are milliseconds brief radio wave bursts from house. Common radio bursts are recognized to emit as soon as with out repeating, however FRBs ship out brief radio waves a number of occasions, in line with CNN.
- Scientists are nonetheless determining what causes these bursts, however many assume the trigger to be from “excessive objects,” Reuters says.
- Some causes of a FRB could possibly be “a neuron star, the compact collapsed core of an enormous star that exploded as a supernova on the finish of its lifecycle; a magnetar, a sort of neuron star with an ultra-strong magnetic discipline; and a black gap messily consuming a neighborhood star,” in line with Reuters.
Why does this matter? CNET referred to as this FRB “probably the most exceptional instance of a so-called quick radio burst from the opposite aspect of the universe.” This sort of burst has solely been recognized to people for about 15 years, and offers us a glance into deep house.
“The FRB discipline is transferring very quick proper now and new discoveries are popping out month-to-month. Nonetheless, massive questions nonetheless stay, and this object is giving us difficult clues about these questions,” Sarah Burke-Spolaor, from Western Virginia College, advised NRAO.