Astronomers studying mysterious signals have pinpointed a surprising location in deep space, which is closer than previously expected. The Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs), a mysterious series of bright flashes are coming from a galaxy 12 million light-years away and are similar to one observed in the Crab Nebula, the remains of a supernova explosion.
Scientists using radio telescopes revealed that the bursts are made among old stars, and in a way that no one was expecting. The source of the bright flashes is from the nearby galaxy M-81, which puts it close to Earth. Each of these bright flashes lasts just thousandths of a second, yet each explodes with the same energy as the sun gives out in a day.
There have been reports of hundreds of flashes every day from all over the sky, however, all are from a massive distance from Earth, from the deep universe. Astronomers in a series of two papers published in the journals Nature and Nature Astronomy present observations that take scientists a step closer to solving the mystery.
WHAT ARE FAST RADIO BURSTS?
FRBs are intense bursts of radio emission that have durations of milliseconds and yet enough energy that is equal to what the Sun releases in a day.