Radio Signal Never Seen Before Discovered Beyond Our Galaxy
Fox Weather reports that a group of astronomers have picked up on a mysterious radio signal and published their findings in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
The radio signals, known as Fast Radio Bursts (FRB), originated from beyond the Milky Way and are behaving in a way that flies in the face of what scientists currently understand about the celestial sounds that are commonly produced.
As further research is conducted, researchers hope to grasp a better understanding of where these FRB signals are sourced and how they generate energy.
FRB 20220912A
In this case, we’re not dealing with a single radio signal but rather 35 FRBs coming from a single source named FRB 20220912A.
After listening to the radio signals, scientists have converted the data they collected into a sound clip, using a xylophone to cover the range of sounds that are being emitted.
The sound clip bears a striking resemblance to an iPhone ring-tone and doesn’t necessarily follow any known patterns that scientists have picked up on before.
A Unique Signal
In other words, most radio waves found in space start at a high pitch and gradually descend into a lower register.
But FRB 20220912A is a unique radio signal in the sense that the drop in pitch isn’t chromatic in nature, as its tones shift up and down before settling into a lower octave, where the signal fizzles out.
Though the radio waves were converted into sound using a xylophone, their shifts in pitch are more reminiscent of a slide whistle.
Produced By Magnetars
The study, led by Sofia Sheikh of the SETI Institute in California, will help narrow down the source of these cosmic radio signal and provide more insight into how they’re produced.
The prevailing theory suggests that FRBs are produced by magnetars, which are neutron stars that boast extremely powerful magnetic fields.
But new evidence suggests that FRBs could possibly be produced by colliding neutron stars, or merging white dwarf stars as well.
Unique Musical Mosaic
Though we may be getting ahead of ourselves, FRB 20220912A could very well explain why this group of radio signals isn’t characteristic of FRBs discovered in the past.
It’s not outside the realm of possibility that different FRBs have their own unique musical mosaic, depending on the source behind each radio wave cluster.
As of this writing, current existing FRB models don’t quite explain all of their unique properties.
Bigger Picture
FRBs are known to generate as much energy in a thousandth of a second as Earth’s sun produces in an entire year.
But even though we’re trying to pinpoint the source of the mysterious interstellar sounds, interpreting their meaning is another study that needs to be considered.
However, we’re taking a step in the right direction as the research reveals how magnetic fields emit radio signals.
Another Mystery In The Universe
It’s crazy to think that a single radio signal or a group of radio signals are producing a cosmic symphony from the furthest reaches of the known universe.
But through the incomprehensible amount of energy FRBs produce, we’ll one day fully understand their origins and their overall purpose as we uncover yet another mystery of our vast universe.
