Scientists Think They've , Identified the Origin of a Mysterious , Radio Signal from Space.
'Vice' reports that scientists have
been aware of strange radio signals
from space for over a decade.
Dozens of fast radio bursts (FRBs)
have been detected, yet their origins, remain a mystery.
Scientists at Nanjing University in China believe
they may have identified the source of an enigmatic
FRB first detected in November of 2020.
The repeating burst has helped
scientists trace the signal's origin to
a galaxy some 1.3 billion miles from Earth.
Images of the FRB were captured
by China's Five-hundred Aperture
Spherical radio Telescope (FAST).
The observations revealed a magnetar, a highly-magnetic type of dense dead star, and a Be star, an extremely hot and rapidly spinning type of star. .
The observations revealed a magnetar, a highly-magnetic type of dense dead star, and a Be star, an extremely hot and rapidly spinning type of star. .
We propose that FRB 20201124A
is produced by a magnetar residing
in a binary system with a Be star
companion with a disk, Fayin Wang, Astronomer at Nanjing
University in China, via 'Motherboard'.
The interaction between radio bursts
and the disk of Be star can naturally
explain the observed unusual
characteristics of FRB 20201124A, Fayin Wang, Astronomer at Nanjing
University in China, via 'Motherboard'.
'Vice' reports that the study of FRBs can
help solve a number of cosmic mysteries,
including the universe's rate of expansion.
A study detailing the team's findings was published on September 21 in 'Nature Communications.'