Enigmatic Flash of Energy Comes from Merging Galaxies
To the naked-eye, the sky looks deceptively quiet. But to radio astronomers there are powerful bursts of energy that pop off all over the sky like camera flashes at a stadium performance. The gusher of radiation released can briefly outshine an entire galaxy. The blasts come and go so fast, winking out in less than a couple seconds, they've earned the name fast radio bursts (FRBs). Though the triggering mechanism is unknown, it must involve extreme physics, perhaps the collision of black holes or neutron stars. They are hard to pin down. Astronomers using Hubble had to peer halfway back to the big bang to find the location of the farthest and brightest FRB to date. It exploded amongst a compact group of several early galaxies that may be in the process of merging. Coincidence or clue? Finding an FRB in a weird place may help astronomers unravel their mystery.
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