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Most Distant Fast Radio Burst Ever Recorded Surprises Scientists With Tiny Home Galaxy
M
Moneycontrol•13-10-2026, 10:44
Most Distant Fast Radio Burst Ever Recorded Surprises Scientists With Tiny Home Galaxy
- •Astronomers detected the most distant fast radio burst, named FRB 20240304B, which travelled for over 11 billion years to reach Earth.
- •The signal was discovered using South Africa’s MeerKAT radio telescope array and traced to its source with NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope.
- •Scientists were surprised to find that the burst originated from a dwarf galaxy that was actively forming stars and was 1,000 times less massive than expected.
- •Researchers suspect the intense flash of radio waves may have been produced by a magnetar, a highly magnetised neutron star.
- •Studying how ionised gas alters these radio waves as they travel through space helps scientists explore the early Universe and intergalactic matter.
Key Questions Answered
The distant fast radio burst was detected using South Africa's MeerKAT radio telescope array and NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
Scientists were surprised to find that the burst originated in a dwarf galaxy that was actively forming stars, remarkably young, and roughly 1,000 times less massive than expected.
Researchers suspect that a magnetar, which is a highly magnetised neutron star and the dense remnant of a massive star, may have produced the burst.
