Scientists hear dozens of mysterious radio signals crossing the space – BGR

Looking in space with a high-powered telescope can produce quite impressive results. Scientists regularly discover the presence of distant worlds by looking at distant stars and waiting for planets to pass in front of them, and telescopes like Hubble return stunning images for decades. So the mechanical "eyes" of great power are really great, but what about the ears?

One of the most mysterious things ever heard in the space is a phenomenon called Fast Radio Burst. The FRB are absurdly powerful energy explosions that seem to come out of nowhere, but astronomers hear them so regularly that there must be an explanation. Now, one of the most active signal sources of these weird radio bursts has been examined more closely, and it's even more active than we thought.

FRB 121102 is a space location that produces FRBs at a steady pace. The explosions, which last only a fraction of a second each, are impossible to predict, but since this particular place in the sky has produced so much in the past, it is easy for astronomers to assume that others could happen. . Most FRBs are unique explosions that hit the Earth and are never heard of again. FRB 121102 is different in that it continues to pump radio energy at totally random intervals.

In a new research effort from the Breakthrough Listen project at the University of California at Berkeley, scientists looked at all the data in this FRB and found that a large number of bursts had been missed. A total of 72 new fast radio bursts were discovered in the data, powered by an advanced algorithm that yielded surprising results. AI-assisted discovery helps cement FRB 121102 as one of the most special features of our neck of the universe.

"This work is exciting, not only because it helps us understand the dynamic behavior of fast radio bursts in more detail, but also to promise to use machine learning to detect signals missed by conventional algorithms," explains Andrew Siemion. with the project Breakthrough Listen, said in a statement.

As for the causes of these bursts, no one really knows it. It is believed that the origin of the signals is 3 billion light years away, making it extremely difficult to study. Some theories – such as black holes ripping stars or even intelligent alien life searching for others – will probably remain entirely theoretical for a long time.

Image Source: NASA