Astronomers were stunned after discovering a rare energy burst in a bizarre place.
Using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, they have identified a fast radio burst (FRB) in space.
An FRB is a fleeting blast of energy that can outshine an entire galaxy for just a few milliseconds.
Hundreds of these have been detected over the past few years, emerging all over the sky.
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But the source behind these bursts of radiation remained a mystery.
First detected on 10 June 2022 by the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder in Western Australia, further observations have confirmed its unique nature.
What makes this FRB strange is its origin, the burst erupting from halfway across the universe.
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This makes it the farthest and most powerful FRB ever detected.
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Stranger still, FRBs have only been found in isolated galaxies, however, this one occurred within a collection of galaxies.
“It required Hubble’s keen sharpness and sensitivity to pinpoint exactly where the FRB came from,” said Alexa Gordon, lead author from Northwestern University in Illinois.
“Without Hubble’s imaging, it would still remain a mystery as to whether this was originating from one monolithic galaxy or from some type of interacting system.
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“It’s these types of environments – these weird ones – that are driving us toward better understanding the mystery of FRBs.
“We just need to keep finding more of these FRBs, both nearby and far away, and in all these different types of environments.”
Through the images from the Hubble Telescope, it is believed that as many as seven galaxies could be on the path to merging.
Groups of galaxies are rare and could be a potential trigger causing FRBs.
“We are ultimately trying to answer the questions: What causes them?” said Wen-fai Fong, co-investigator from Northwestern University.
“What are their progenitors and what are their origins?
“The Hubble observations provide a spectacular view of the surprising types of environments that give rise to these mysterious events.”
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