Scientists have determined mysterious radio signal bursts that have been detected in space have been observed within the Milky Way for the first time, the Independent reports.
Astronomers who previously observed fast radio bursts, which only last for fractions of a second, were unable to track the signal back to its origin because of their brevity, unpredictability, and tendency to emerge from far in space. However, in April scientists were able to determine one of the signals, known as FRBs, apparently originated from a star with a powerful magnetic field known as a magnetar.
McGill University PhD student Pragya Chawla, a co-author of the study published in Nature this week, added: “We calculated that such an intense burst coming from another galaxy would be indistinguishable from some fast radio bursts, so this really gives weight to the theory suggesting that magnetars could be behind at least some FRBs.”
Source: newsmax
