A mysterious signal from the depths of the universe has attracted the attention of astronomers, since scientists confirmed that he had traveled over 10 billion years before reaching Earth.
According to a study published on October 13, Science magazine, the most distant explosion of fast radio waves ever recorded.
The signal, identified as FRB 20240304B, was picked up by Meer radio telescope KAT in South Africa. Then astronomers used NASA's James Webb space telescope to identify the galaxy from which it came.
The University of Sydney reported that the discovery was made by an international team of researchers, led by astronomers Manisa Caleb and Themiya Nanayakkara.
What makes the phenomenon especially unusual is its length.
Such explosions last only a few milliseconds, but during this time they can release extraordinary amounts of energy.
According to the British newspaper The Guardian, astronomers still do not know with certainty what causes these signals.
One major explanation is that magnets, neutron stars, with extremely powerful magnetic fields, can produce intense radio waves.
However, not all the characteristics of these phenomena have been fully explained.
The final signal has special significance because it comes from a time when the universe was much younger than today.
Astronomers estimate that the explosion occurred when the universe was about 3 billion years old. This means that its waves have travelled through space for most of cosmic history before they were recorded by modern instruments.
The discovery can help scientists to study another mystery - the invisible matter found among galaxies.
As radio waves travel through the universe, they are affected by particles they face along the way. By analyzing these changes, astronomers can extract information on space distribution of matter.
Although the signal has reached an extraordinary distance, scientists point out that there is no evidence that it was sent from some alien civilization.
However, the discovery opens a new window to the history of the universe and shows that some of the most powerful cosmic phenomena continue to remain unexplained.
