Astronomers have made a groundbreaking discovery, pinpointing the origin of the brightest fast radio burst (FRB) ever detected with unprecedented speed and accuracy. Using two powerful telescopes, scientists located the fleeting phenomenon in the constellation Ursa Major.
The March FRB, dubbed “RBFLOAT,” was detected by the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) radio telescope in British Columbia, Canada. Initially, the array of radio receivers could not identify the source of any given FRB. However, with the recent completion of a network of “Outrigger” telescopes, researchers were able to improve their precision.
The burst was traced to the edge of a star-forming region in a spiral galaxy called NGC 4141, located about 130 million light-years from Earth. This makes it one of the closest FRBs ever detected.
Scientists used the James Webb Space Telescope to follow up on the observation and matched the burst with an infrared signal captured by the powerful telescope. The infrared glow is believed to come from either a red giant star or a massive, middle-aged star – hints at what might have caused the FRB.
The team’s findings open the door to identifying the kinds of stellar environments that could give rise to such powerful bursts. A leading theory suggests that FRBs are related to magnetars, or highly magnetic neutron stars left over from supernova explosions. Further research is needed to determine the cause of FRBs.
While scientists still have much to uncover about FRBs, the new study demonstrates the power of advanced space telescopes in tracking these elusive events.
Source: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/astronomers-spot-the-brightest-fast-radio-burst-ever-detected-and-observe-stars-around-its-origin-for-the-first-time-180987233