Astronomers Detect Oldest Known Fast Radio Burst From Early Galaxy
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In short
- The burst came from an ancient galaxy about three billion years after the Big Bang.
- The universe is 13.8 billion years old, so the signal has travelled for most of its history.
- Researchers still do not know what produces these brief radio flashes.
Why the Good News Desk likes this one
Fast radio bursts are short, powerful flashes of radio waves from distant space. This one is the oldest known, so it reaches back to the early cosmos. Scientists still do not know what causes these bursts, and this detection adds a data point to that open question.
From Smithsonian
The universe formed 13.8 billion years ago, so this far-traveled burst of radio waves can help scientists learn more about the early cosmos. However, researchers still aren't sure what produces these strange flashes
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For kids
Far away in space, a very old galaxy sent out a quick flash of radio waves. The flash travelled for billions of years before reaching Earth. Scientists found it, and now they can learn more about how the early universe looked. Talk about it: what would you want to learn about the very early universe?
