Posted on 08/25/2020 8:18:05 AM PDT by BenLurkin
The so-called Fast Radio Burst repeats every 157 days with the power of millions of suns and its latest barrage arrived right on time last week.
Known as FRB 121102, scientists hope that studying the strange blinkering signal could unlock the secret to what FRBs are and where they come from.
Fast Radio Bursts are intense pulses of radio waves that last no longer than the blink of an eye and come from far beyond our Milky Way galaxy.
Their origins are unknown. .
The group’s findings, to The Astronomer’s Telegram, suggest the burst is currently in its active phase and repeats every 156 days – not 157.
According to their paper, FRB 121102’s active phase is due to end between 31 August and 9 September 2020.
If telescopes continue to pick up bursts beyond these dates, then either its predictable pattern does not exist or has somehow evolved, they said.
Scientists urged other teams to continue taking readings of FRB 121102 in the hopes of better-understanding it.
Based on the new readings (as well as older ones) the leading theory is that the bursts are emitted by a type of neutron star called a magnetar.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Send more Chuck Berry
I’m embarrassed, I’d never heard of the group, or the damn song, until I saw it on the insurance ad.
Interesting.
Cool about your dad!
When in the 1950s submarine service, a radioman told me that they either sent accelerated messages by having the Morse code recorded and then played back at high speed, cutting down the transmission speed - and chance of detection - by a huge factor. Once received, they had a device that slowed down the recording so they could decipher the code.
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