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Astronomers Record Mystery Radio Signals From 5.5 Billion Light Years Away

sarahnaomi writes For the first time ever, astronomers have captured an enormous radio wave burst in real time, bringing us one step closer to understanding their origins. These fleeting eruptions, called blitzars or FRBs (Fast Radio Bursts), are truly bizarre cosmic phenomena. In the span of a millisecond, they emit as much radiation as the Sun does over a million years. But unlike other super-luminous events that span multiple wavelengths—gamma ray bursts or supernovae, for example—blitzars emit all that energy in a tiny band of the radio light spectrum. Adding to the mystery is the rarity of blitzar sightings. Since these bursts were first discovered in 2007 with Australia's Parkes Telescope, ten have been identified, the latest of which was the first to be imaged in real time.

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  1. Re:This has been know for a while... by Kozar_The_Malignant · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You're not trying hard enough then. :-) One of the benefits of excellent karma is that you can bring out the flamethrower to crisp up some fool on occasion without too many consequences.

    --
    Some mornings it's hardly worth chewing through the restraints to get out of bed.