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posted by martyb on Saturday September 02 2017, @04:43PM   Printer-friendly
from the Bzzt-Bzzt dept.

http://news.berkeley.edu/2017/08/30/distant-galaxy-sends-out-15-high-energy-radio-bursts/

Breakthrough Listen, an initiative to find signs of intelligent life in the universe, has detected 15 brief but powerful radio pulses emanating from a mysterious and repeating source – FRB 121102 – far across the universe.

Fast radio bursts are brief, bright pulses of radio emission from distant but largely unknown sources, and FRB 121102 is the only one known to repeat: more than 150 high-energy bursts have been observed coming from the object, which was identified last year as a dwarf galaxy about 3 billion light years from Earth.

Also at: Universe Today, phys.org, and Newsweek,.


Original Submission

Related Stories

Fast Radio Bursts Could be Caused by Pulsars Near Black Holes or Supernova Remnants 3 comments

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) may be caused by neutron stars (pulsars) experiencing unusual conditions, such as proximity to a black hole or a highly magnetized wind nebula:

The first FRB was discovered in 2007, in archived data from the Parkes Radio Telescope in Australia. Astronomers were searching for new examples of magnetised neutron stars called pulsars, but found a new phenomenon - a radio burst from 2001. Since then, 18 FRBs - also referred to as "flashes" or "sizzles" - have been found in total.

The mystery surrounding their nature has spawned a variety of different possible explanations, from black holes to extra-terrestrial intelligence.

Only one of these sources of radio energy has erupted more than once - a so-called burster catalogued as FRB 121102. This FRB has sent out around 150 flashes since its discovery in 2012.

Now, in the journal Nature [DOI: 10.1038/nature25149] [DX], a team of scientists explains how the emission might come from a neutron star, perhaps one near a black hole or one embedded in a nebula.

Previously: More Fast Radio Bursts Detected from Same Location
15 Fast Radio Bursts Detected From Distant Galaxy


Original Submission

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  • (Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 02 2017, @04:52PM (13 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 02 2017, @04:52PM (#562961)

    Where's Tsoukalos when you need him?

    • (Score: 1) by Ethanol-fueled on Saturday September 02 2017, @08:39PM (9 children)

      by Ethanol-fueled (2792) on Saturday September 02 2017, @08:39PM (#563008) Homepage

      If the aliens are smart enough to travel through space then they should have a prime directive.

      • (Score: 2) by acid andy on Saturday September 02 2017, @08:42PM (8 children)

        by acid andy (1683) on Saturday September 02 2017, @08:42PM (#563011) Homepage Journal

        What's your prime directive, EF?

        --
        If a cat has kittens, does a rat have rittens, a bat bittens and a mat mittens?
        • (Score: 3, Interesting) by Ethanol-fueled on Saturday September 02 2017, @08:46PM (7 children)

          by Ethanol-fueled (2792) on Saturday September 02 2017, @08:46PM (#563012) Homepage

          Kill all the men and take all the women.

          • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Gaaark on Saturday September 02 2017, @09:16PM (5 children)

            by Gaaark (41) on Saturday September 02 2017, @09:16PM (#563020) Journal

            I like how this is modded 'Interesting'. 'Fascinating, Captain', maybe. But Interesting? :)

            I'd go for "Kill all the men and take all the good looking nerdy girls between 18 and 25."

            --
            --- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
            • (Score: 3, Interesting) by Ethanol-fueled on Saturday September 02 2017, @09:32PM (1 child)

              by Ethanol-fueled (2792) on Saturday September 02 2017, @09:32PM (#563026) Homepage

              Well, when this came out it prompted me to look up a great Star Trek: TNG episode "Who Watches the Watchers" [wikia.com] in which a Federation outpost studying a Bronze-age society of proto-Vulcans has its holographic cover blown and the crew of the enterprise has to go into full damage-control mode.

              It's a cool episode because the problem is not solved by force or technology. In fact, Captain Picard dares a motherfucker to shoot him with an arrow and gets hit to prove he's not God.

              That's one thing the prime directive never addressed - a situation in which civilizations were trying to reach out and respond to long-range radio bursts rather than just flying over and beaming down to the place.

              • (Score: 1) by Ethanol-fueled on Sunday September 03 2017, @09:41AM

                by Ethanol-fueled (2792) on Sunday September 03 2017, @09:41AM (#563101) Homepage

                Meta-comment: Ray Wise was in that episode and also central to that episode was Dr. Palmer.

            • (Score: 4, Insightful) by acid andy on Saturday September 02 2017, @10:05PM (2 children)

              by acid andy (1683) on Saturday September 02 2017, @10:05PM (#563032) Homepage Journal

              Now that would be great if the moderation options were replaced with:

              Fascinating, Captain!
              No. But it is... interesting!
              Illogical, Captain!
              Curious.
              If my grandmother had wheels, she'd be a wagon.
              She canna take much more of this!
              He's dead Jim!

              Maybe next April 1st?

              Shame I couldn't think of one for Kirk.

              --
              If a cat has kittens, does a rat have rittens, a bat bittens and a mat mittens?
              • (Score: 3, Touché) by Gaaark on Sunday September 03 2017, @02:05AM (1 child)

                by Gaaark (41) on Sunday September 03 2017, @02:05AM (#563055) Journal

                KHAAAAAANNN!

                --
                --- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
                • (Score: 4, Funny) by acid andy on Sunday September 03 2017, @09:39AM

                  by acid andy (1683) on Sunday September 03 2017, @09:39AM (#563100) Homepage Journal

                  Indeed, Captain.

                  --
                  If a cat has kittens, does a rat have rittens, a bat bittens and a mat mittens?
          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 03 2017, @05:21AM

            by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 03 2017, @05:21AM (#563075)

            Except, little know fact, Ethanol_fueled is a woman. This is what happens when extra-stellar species arrive, and cannot figure out the local reproductive strategies. Sad thing, Eth will not realize this until well after his fleshlight gives out. So sad. But at least it stops with him. Or, um, her.

    • (Score: 2) by chewbacon on Saturday September 02 2017, @08:49PM (1 child)

      by chewbacon (1032) on Saturday September 02 2017, @08:49PM (#563013)

      Probably doing a line of coke off a stripper's back. He just strikes me as that type of a fun guy.

      • (Score: 2) by arulatas on Tuesday September 05 2017, @01:43PM

        by arulatas (3600) on Tuesday September 05 2017, @01:43PM (#563749)

        So now he is a mushroom?

        --
        ----- 10 turns around
    • (Score: 2) by mcgrew on Sunday September 03 2017, @04:36PM

      by mcgrew (701) <publish@mcgrewbooks.com> on Sunday September 03 2017, @04:36PM (#563169) Homepage Journal

      My guess is Greece, since he's Greek.

      --
      mcgrewbooks.com mcgrew.info nooze.org
  • (Score: 5, Insightful) by Gaaark on Saturday September 02 2017, @09:19PM (3 children)

    by Gaaark (41) on Saturday September 02 2017, @09:19PM (#563021) Journal

    I welcome our new high energy radio overlords.

    As long as it's rock/alternative radio overlords. No Michael Jackson or what today passes as pop music.

    --
    --- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
    • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 03 2017, @05:34AM (2 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 03 2017, @05:34AM (#563078)

      Oh, that's what it is? Today's pop music?

      I thought someone started the dryer without checking to see if the cat was sleeping in it.

      • (Score: 2) by lx on Sunday September 03 2017, @08:24AM

        by lx (1915) on Sunday September 03 2017, @08:24AM (#563089)

        Go back to bed grandpa.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 03 2017, @04:44PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 03 2017, @04:44PM (#563174)

        You don't remember a thing called The Cutout Bin?
        Sturgeon's Law [google.com] applies across generational boundaries.

        -- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 04 2017, @01:00AM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 04 2017, @01:00AM (#563257)

    Doesn't matter. They are long gone.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 04 2017, @07:37AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Monday September 04 2017, @07:37AM (#563333)

      Maybe it does matter.

      If they beamed out details about their technology, it could improve our own, even if they stopped existing millions of years ago.

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