Tuesday, January 02, 2018

The mystery of fast radio burst


Cosmic firecrackers

It's been ten years since the first 'fast radio burst' (FRB) was discovered, and scientist have realized that FRB's are very real, and one of the greatest new discoveries in astronomy in decades.

Astronomy's February 2018 issue, includes an interesting feature, Cosmic Firecracker, on the mystery of fast radio burst. These bright but fleeting explosions unleash more energy than the Sun produces in a day - and yet scientist don't know what causes them.

Yvette Cendes has a great feature, delving into the mysterious signals, and notes the rapid release of energy, produces a burst of radio energy - a fast radio burst. Plenty to ponder too for the radio listener, and how FRB may affect reception.

The writer notes, "we are at the dawn of the fast radio burst era. For now, we will have to wait to see where this new cosmic mystery takes us."

To learn more about FRB's, check out Science Alert website: https://www.sciencealert.com/we-just-picked-up-15-mysterious-radio-signals-from-a-distant-galaxy  for additional information and Astronomy magazine link at: http://www.astronomy.com/
http://www.astronomy.com/
(graphic-Science Alert)