Posted on 05/04/2020 2:05:55 PM PDT by BenLurkin
Work on this event is very preliminary, with astronomers madly scrambling to analyse the swathes of data. But many seem in agreement that it could finally point to the source of fast radio bursts (FRBs).
"This sort of, in most people's minds, settles the origin of FRBs as coming from magnetars," astronomer Shrinivas Kulkarni of Caltech, and member of one of the teams, the STARE2 survey that also detected the radio signal, told ScienceAlert.
Fast radio bursts are one of the most fascinating mysteries in the cosmos. They are extremely powerful radio signals from deep space, galaxies millions of light-years away, some discharging more energy than 500 million Suns. Yet they last less than the blink of an eye - mere milliseconds in duration - and most of them don't repeat, making them very hard to predict, trace, and therefore understand.
Potential explanations have ranged from supernovae to aliens (which, sorry, is extremely unlikely). But one possibility that has been picking up steam is that FRBs are produced by magnetars.
These are a particularly odd type of neutron star, the extremely dense core remnants left over after a massive star goes supernova. But magnetars have much more powerful magnetic fields than ordinary neutron stars - around 1,000 times stronger. How they got that way is something we don't understand well, but it has an interesting effect on the star itself
As gravitational force tries to keep the star together - an inward force - the magnetic field is so powerful, it distorts the star's shape. This leads to an ongoing tension between the two forces, Kulkarni explained, which occasionally produces gargantuan starquakes and giant magnetar flares
(Excerpt) Read more at sciencealert.com ...
Thanks to modern technology, we’re having a great time discovering new mysteries about the cosmos . As soon as we think we’ve figured one out, nature will throw us another curve ball just to keep things interesting.
Just wait until two branes collide (look that up). It’ll become very interesting.
Radio noise from space. How novel.
Yeah, I always find this curious. There is a lot of collisions and movement in the grand universe. How is it novel that there is sound emtited if you have the correct listening device?
“Send More Chuck Berry!”
Bkmrk.
So, you’re a Democrat?
Well, that sure makes a lot more sense than Aliens.
I think it’s something like pareidolia, where you lay back and look up at the clouds and think of how they look like cows,houses, trains, etc.
Your AM radio is producing odd sounds. Is it your neighbors microwave or is ET calling to let you know he wants to borrow your bike?
My brane hurts!
Potential explanations have ranged from supernovae to aliens (which, sorry, is extremely unlikely).
Thanks BenLurkin.
“Be sure to drink your Ovaltine”
Imagine taking a chunk of lead and smashing it into it’s anti-matter opposite. The field strength of a Magnatar has 10000 times more energy per cubic inch than that.
Probably just an echo effect. 8>)
Thanks for suggesting that we look up brane theory.
I was especially gratified to find out there are p-branes. I had suspected that for a long time.
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