A team of astronomers has detected a record-breaking fast radio burst (FRB) using the CHIME radio telescope in Canada, which is the most powerful of its kind ever seen and located with unprecedented precision.
The event, named RBFLOAT, was recorded on March 16, 2025, and released an enormous amount of energy equivalent to the Sun’s output over four days in just milliseconds. Initially, scientists were unsure about the origin of the signal, which they mistakenly flagged as radio frequency interference from closer sources like cell phones or airplanes.
To overcome this challenge, the researchers augmented their primary telescope with smaller secondary telescopes called Outriggers, located at great distances from Canada. This allowed them to triangulate the signal down to a resolution of 45 light-years and pinpoint its location within the Big Dipper constellation, approximately 130 million light-years away.
This precision localization enabled the scientists to study the environment in which the FRB emerged with incredible detail using follow-up observations at the MMT telescope and Keck Observatory. The findings suggest that the signal was emitted by an extremely magnetic neutron star called a magnetar, which is a growing theory behind many detected FRBs.
The researchers also discovered that the FRB lies on the outskirts of its host galaxy’s spiral arm, where ongoing star formation would be expected. However, further analysis and a survey using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) suggest that this location might indicate the magnetar was either kicked from its birth site or born at the FRB site away from the nearest star-forming clump.
The detection of RBFLOAT marks an exciting new era in FRB science, with hundreds of precisely localized events expected in the coming years. This will allow researchers to better understand the environments from which these mysterious signals originate and bring them one step closer to unlocking their secrets.
Source: https://www.sciencealert.com/flash-from-nearby-galaxy-brightest-of-its-kind-ever-seen