what are fast radio bursts

A whitish round body with streams moving away from one area, shooting off in blue and purple hues.

Are we poised to understand fast radio bursts?

Will we soon understand fast radio bursts? Two NASA X-ray telescopes recently observed one shortly before and after it occurred. Magnetars could be the bursts' source.

Alien-hunting AI discovers dozens of mysterious fast radio bursts

Astronomers with the Breakthrough Listen program used AI (artificial intelligence) to find 72 repeating, short, unpredictable radio bursts, from a mysterious source 3 billion light years away.

Fast radio bursts: A mystery unfolds

Repeating, short, unpredictable radio bursts left astronomers perplexed. Now they think the bursts were twisted by the extreme environment around a supernova or supermassive black hole.

Fast radio bursts firing every second?

New theoretical work indicates at least 1 fast radio burst, or FRB, going off somewhere each second. It contradicts the idea that FRBs might be evidence of an alien technology.

Alien seekers report 15 more fast radio bursts from FRB 121102

Breakthrough Listen – an initiative to find signs of intelligent life in the universe – used the Green Bank Telescope to observe the bursts from the mysterious distant object known as FRB 121102.

Black space, with scattered tiny galaxies, and a small bright blue spot in the middle next to one of them.

Bright blue cosmic outbursts linked to black holes

Astronomers studying one of the strongest bright blue cosmic outbursts believe they occur in a binary star system where a black hole tears its companion apart.

An orange star orbiting a bright white star with narrow jets coming from its poles, within a flat disk of swirling material.

‘Unicorn’ long-period radio transient baffles scientists

Astronomers have discovered a long-period radio transient with theory-defying properties. It's incredibly polarized, and its spin appears to be speeding up.

Large red star with multiple filaments of gas coming off its surface toward a nearby much smaller white star.

Odd, slowly repeating radio bursts traced to red dwarf star

Astronomers have finally pinpointed the source of slowly repeating radio bursts: a red dwarf star with a possible white dwarf binary companion.

Farthest fast radio burst, in a weird place

The most distant known fast radio burst flashed from an unlikely place: a collection of galaxies that existed when the universe was only 5 billion years old.

3 small galaxies in upper left and larger galaxy in lower right, with thin beam of light connecting them.

Fast radio burst traveled 8 billion light-years to Earth

Astronomers have confirmed the most distant fast radio burst ever found so far. It resides in a small group of merging galaxies 8 billion light-years away.

2 adjacent glowing balls inside a flat red spiral, a brilliant white jet flying out at right angles to spiral.

Super-fast jet blasts from neutron star collision

Astronomers discovered and measured a super-fast jet, thought to be the result of 2 neutron stars colliding. The jet is moving at 99.97% the speed of light!

Star with thin curved lines around it and reddish clouds of dust behind it.

Odd Fast Radio Burst only 2nd known of its kind

Astronomers say they have observed an unusual fast radio burst - only the 2nd so far - where smaller bursts persistently occur in-between repeating large bursts.

Weird radio waves shown as spirals coming toward Earth from distant glowing point in space.

Weird radio waves from the heart of the Milky Way

An international team of astronomers has detected weird radio waves coming from the heart of the Milky Way. They are unlike any found before, and may originate from a new type of cosmic object.

Night view illustration of the LOFAR telescope, with a bright starlike object in the sky and rainbow coloured emission emanating from it towards the telescope. Inset with spiral galaxy.

Radio waves from famous FRB surprisingly long and late

Astronomers have managed to detect very long wavelength radio emission from a well-studied, repeating fast radio burst, called FRB 20180916B. What's more, the longer wavelengths arrive 3 days after the shorter wavelength counterpart of the signal! Why?

The closest extragalactic fast radio burst yet?

Astronomers detected a new, nearby, repeating fast radio burst, originating from a spot near the great spiral galaxy M81.

Large radio telescope dish with five towers around it, surrounded by forest.

China’s huge FAST telescope to open to international observers

FAST's 500-meter (1,640-foot) dish makes it the world's largest single-dish radio observatory. It's expected to open to international observers in 2021.

Many bright white dots on black background, with squares, lines and text annotations.

Repeating fast radio burst woke up again on schedule. Now what?

FRB 121102 is one of the few known repeating fast radio bursts, and astronomers are trying to use this new period of activity to understand it better. Some predict the current active phase should end sometime between August 31 and September 9. Will it?

Are we poised to understand fast radio bursts?

Alien-hunting AI discovers dozens of mysterious fast radio bursts

Fast radio bursts: A mystery unfolds

Fast radio bursts firing every second?

Alien seekers report 15 more fast radio bursts from FRB 121102

Bright blue cosmic outbursts linked to black holes

‘Unicorn’ long-period radio transient baffles scientists

Odd, slowly repeating radio bursts traced to red dwarf star

Farthest fast radio burst, in a weird place

Fast radio burst traveled 8 billion light-years to Earth

Super-fast jet blasts from neutron star collision

Odd Fast Radio Burst only 2nd known of its kind

Weird radio waves from the heart of the Milky Way

Radio waves from famous FRB surprisingly long and late

The closest extragalactic fast radio burst yet?

China’s huge FAST telescope to open to international observers

Repeating fast radio burst woke up again on schedule. Now what?

Astronomers ponder Odd Radio Circles in space

A mystery solved? Fast Radio Burst detected within Milky Way

Mysterious fast radio burst repeats in 16-day rhythm

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Are we poised to understand fast radio bursts?

Alien-hunting AI discovers dozens of mysterious fast radio bursts

Fast radio bursts: A mystery unfolds

Fast radio bursts firing every second?

Alien seekers report 15 more fast radio bursts from FRB 121102

Bright blue cosmic outbursts linked to black holes

‘Unicorn’ long-period radio transient baffles scientists

Odd, slowly repeating radio bursts traced to red dwarf star

Farthest fast radio burst, in a weird place

Fast radio burst traveled 8 billion light-years to Earth

Super-fast jet blasts from neutron star collision

Odd Fast Radio Burst only 2nd known of its kind

Weird radio waves from the heart of the Milky Way

Radio waves from famous FRB surprisingly long and late

The closest extragalactic fast radio burst yet?

China’s huge FAST telescope to open to international observers

Repeating fast radio burst woke up again on schedule. Now what?

Astronomers ponder Odd Radio Circles in space

A mystery solved? Fast Radio Burst detected within Milky Way

Mysterious fast radio burst repeats in 16-day rhythm