8109172078?profile=originalThe recently discovered fast radio burst FRB 121102 is located in the upper right portion of this image, which is dominated by an old supernova remnant called (large structure at left).

A split-second burst of energy that erupted in deep space is giving astronomers important new clues about a mysterious class of astrophysical phenomena.  

Only a handful of these rapid, millisecond-duration events, known as "fast radio bursts" (FRBs), had been detected previously, all of them by a single instrument — the Parkes Observatory in Australia. As a result, some astronomers have speculated that FRBs have local origins.

But the latest burst, which was observed on Nov. 2, 2012 by the Arecibo radio telescope in Puerto Rico, puts the lie to that notion, researchers said. [The Strangest Things in Space]

"Our result is important because it eliminates any doubt that these radio bursts are truly of cosmic origin," study co-author Victoria Kaspi, of McGill University in Montreal, Canada, said in a statement. "The radio waves show every sign of having come from far outside our galaxy — a really exciting prospect."

Kaspi is principal investigator of the Pulsar ALFA (PALFA) survey, a search for pulsars — fast-spinning, super-dense objects that emit beams of light (which appear to pulse at a regular interval, because they can be observed only when the pulsar is pointed at Earth). The research team, led by Laura Spitler of the Max Planck Institue in Germany, discovered the new FRB in the PALFA data.

The newly observed burst is the first of its kind discovered by a telescope other than Parkes, researchers said.

"The brightness and duration of this event, and the inferred rate at which these bursts occur, are all consistent with the properties of the bursts previously detected by the Parkes telescope in Australia," said Spitler, who was completing her PhD at Cornell University when the research began.

The short lifetime of FRBs makes it tough to study them; only seven events, including the newest burst, have been recorded since their 2007 discovery. But the new study should help researchers get a better grip on FRBs.

Their presumed extragalactic origins mean that fast radio bursts could provide unprecedented opportunities to study the intergalactic medium — the dust and gas between galaxies — according to the research paper, which was published in the Astrophysical Journal.

By extrapolating how much of the sky was studied and for how long, scientists have calculated that FRBs probably occur roughly 10,000 times a day. Based on this occurrence rate, PALFA is expected to find two to three more FRBs in the coming years.

The source of fast radio bursts remains a mystery that astrophysicists are eager to solve. A number of exotic possibilities include evaporating primordial black holes, merging or collapsing neutron stars and superconducting cosmic strings. Flares from magnetically active neutron stars, known as magnetars, could also be responsible for the events, researchers said.

Extremely bright flashes from pulsars outside the galaxy are another possibility. The research team suggested that FRBs could be pulses that repeat over even longer timescales than anticipated. If this is the case, longer observation times would be required to spot them.

"We cannot be certain that the bursts are non-repeating," the team wrote in the paper. "Detecting an astrophysical counterpart will be an important step in determining whether we expect repeated events."

http://www.space.com/26741-deep-space-radio-blasts-mystery.html?cmpid=558123

E-mail me when people leave their comments –

You need to be a member of Ashtar Command - Spiritual Community to add comments!

Join Ashtar Command - Spiritual Community

Comments

  • I agree, Marique! I try to stay positive instead of living in fear because I believe the more fear we put out the more there will be...apparently there is something that wants us to be in fear. Everyday there is something new to cause us fear but we need to believe and have faith that all will be well. I have faith that one day we will have all the answers.

  • This is very interesting...To me it indicates that something of a cosmic nature is occurring.  It is an exciting time we live in, and also perilous as well.  Each day that unfurls fills me with wonder for the future and what is to become of mankind.  Thanks for this interesting share.  Some day we may know more answers but for now alas it is a mystery.

This reply was deleted.

Copyright Policy: Always Include 30-50% of the source material and a link to the original article. You may not post, modify, distribute, or reproduce in any way any copyrighted material, trademarks, or other proprietary information belonging to others without obtaining the prior written consent of the owner of such proprietary rights. If you believe that someone's work has been copied and posted on Ashtar Command in a way that constitutes copyright infringement, please Contact Us and include the links to these pages and relevant info. 

Latest Activity

Infinity updated their profile
1 hour ago
Infinity updated their profile photo
1 hour ago
Infinity liked Krishna Kalki's discussion UFOs zig-zagging over nuclear power plant …There Is A Reason Why They Are There
1 hour ago
Justin89636 left a comment on Comment Wall
2 hours ago
Justin89636 left a comment on Comment Wall
2 hours ago
Justin89636 left a comment on Comment Wall
"Yes indeed Movella and more of it to come :)"
4 hours ago
Movella left a comment on Comment Wall
"Thanks Justin, it’s great to see the truth being exposed.👌🏼"
6 hours ago
Justin89636 left a comment on Comment Wall
"Gonna be awesome when all these individuals are eventually brought to justice. https://youtu.be/MuL0H6SqA4g?si=MqkYecDQvnFZDQzz"
7 hours ago
More…