Discovery and Detection
Astronomers have detected fast-repeating radio bursts from a distant "dead" galaxy, challenging existing theories that link fast radio bursts (FRBs) to young, magnetized neutron stars in regions of active star formation.
The FRB, named FRB 20240209A, was traced to an ancient elliptical galaxy about 2 billion light-years away, estimated to be 11.3 billion years old, using the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) and the telescope.
Implications and Theories
This discovery suggests a potential subpopulation of FRBs could originate from older systems, not just young star-forming regions, prompting a rethink of FRB progenitor models.
Researchers hypothesize that the FRBs might originate from neutron stars merging or collapsing, indicating a diverse range of sources for these enigmatic cosmic events.