Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are some of the most mysterious signals from space. These little-studied cosmic messages emanating from distant stars and black holes are mostly characterized by their unpredictability, which leaps through the universe for no apparent reason. According to the portal sciencealert.com, one of these incredible interstellar signals, scientists have been able to capture 500 million light years from Earth. The signal repeats itself every 16 days and makes us involuntarily think about its artificial nature. Maybe our "brothers in reason" will still be found?
A strange signal, 500 million light years from Earth, is repeated every 16 days. What or who is the cause?
Alien radio signals
More than 120 years have passed since the first artificial signal was transmitted from Earth. During this time, radio waves were able to successfully overcome tens of millions of kilometers of space and were heard by representatives of an alien race next to Earth. No matter how much we send radio and television signals to the universe, no matter how much we send special devices to search for extraterrestrials in space, we still haven't found anyone who could share the lonely fate of mankind in a limitless universe. Or did you find?
One of the most unexpected discoveries of the 21st century was the discovery of a rapid FRB burst that is repeated every 16 days in a regular cycle. The signal labeled FRB 180916.J0158 + 65 is actively played for four days and then goes silent for 12 days. After almost two weeks of absolute silence, the fast radio signal is repeated again.
At present, the origin of the repeating radio signal cannot be fully explained, although it is known with certainty that FRB flashes are energetic radiation flashes in the radio frequency spectrum that do not last longer than a few milliseconds. During this time, they can release as much energy as they can create hundreds of millions of stars the size of the sun.
A new repeating radio signal comes from a powerful energy source, the luminosity of which can reach the intensity of several million suns
To the great surprise of the scientists involved in the investigation of FRB flares, the Canadian collaboration of CHIME researchers announced the discovery of nine new sources of strong radio interference in late 2019, bringing the total number of these repeaters to 10 sources for FRB signals.
See also: A mysterious radio signal caught by another galaxy
Finding a 16-day periodicity in a repeating signal source can be an important key to understanding the nature of a unique object, the analogues of which we have not seen in the observable universe. Experts believe that the newly discovered object can differ greatly from the already known spatial formations that show periodicity. In addition, the signal FRB 180916.J0158 + 65 is one of the few fast signals whose origin has been traced by modern devices. So the signal source is on the edge of a spiral galaxy 500 million light years away from us.
In this case, what could be a repeating signal from a distant galaxy? Scientists believe that the source of such strong radiation is probably not an artificially created object, since there is a flare of the FRB radiation in the star formation region, in which future young stars will only form. In this case, the most likely candidates for the title of source of strong radio signals can be magnetars or black holes with star masses.
Despite a completely rational explanation of the possible nature of FRB signals, much weaker radio signals were found near the objects causing them, the presence of which was hardly recognized by modern devices. In this case, maybe the secret of the mysterious signals from "extraterrestrials" is still waiting for its discoverer?