Astronomers detect ancient fast radio burst from early universe

Published 18h ago · Latest report 15h ago

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Astronomers detected an ancient fast radio burst that traveled across 80% of cosmic history.

Scientists have detected a powerful flash of energy traveling from the early universe across approximately 10 billion years. This mysterious fast radio burst originated just 3 billion years after the Big Bang, traversing roughly 80% of cosmic history to reach Earth. Researchers hope this distant signal will provide new insights into the evolution and composition of the cosmos.

Cosmic timelineThe signal was emitted when the universe was merely 3 billion years old.
Travel distanceThe radio waves spent about 10 billion years traveling through space before detection.
Scientific valueResearchers consider these ancient flashes crucial for mapping the history of the cosmos.

By the numbers

10 yrsbillion years of travel time

3 yrsbillion years after the big bang

80%of cosmic history traversed

Why it matters

Fast radio bursts are intensely bright flashes of cosmic radio waves that last for only a fraction of a millisecond. Discovering signals originating from the distant early universe helps astronomers study matter distributed across intergalactic space that would otherwise remain invisible.

What outlets agree on

Astronomers have detected an extremely distant fast radio burst that originated approximately 3 billion years after the Big Bang and took about 10 billion years to reach Earth.

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