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Exclusive: We Might Have First-Ever Detection of a Fast Radio Burst in Our Own Galaxy
Science Alert ^ | May 1, 2020 | Michelle Starr

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 ...


TOPICS: Astronomy; Science
KEYWORDS: astronomy; fastradiobursts; frbs; magnetars; science; space; stringtheory
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1 posted on 05/04/2020 2:05:55 PM PDT by BenLurkin
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To: BenLurkin

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.


2 posted on 05/04/2020 2:09:06 PM PDT by Da Coyote
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To: Da Coyote

Radio noise from space. How novel.


3 posted on 05/04/2020 2:10:37 PM PDT by LouieFisk
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To: LouieFisk

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?


4 posted on 05/04/2020 2:14:07 PM PDT by Obadiah (Kill the deep state or lose the Republic.)
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To: BenLurkin

“Send More Chuck Berry!”


5 posted on 05/04/2020 2:14:29 PM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: BenLurkin
Let's just get this out of the way early.


6 posted on 05/04/2020 2:14:41 PM PDT by DoodleBob (Gravity's waiting period is about 9.8 m/s^2)
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To: DoodleBob

Bkmrk.


7 posted on 05/04/2020 2:15:40 PM PDT by who knows what evil? (Yehovah saved more animals than people on the ark...siameserescue.org)
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To: DoodleBob

So, you’re a Democrat?


8 posted on 05/04/2020 2:17:45 PM PDT by Common Sense 101
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To: BenLurkin

Well, that sure makes a lot more sense than Aliens.


9 posted on 05/04/2020 2:20:17 PM PDT by Bullish (CNN is what happens when 8th graders run a cable network)
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To: Obadiah

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?


10 posted on 05/04/2020 2:21:20 PM PDT by LouieFisk
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To: Da Coyote

My brane hurts!


11 posted on 05/04/2020 2:34:14 PM PDT by Wilhelm Tell (True or False? This is not a tag line.)
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To: BenLurkin

Potential explanations have ranged from supernovae to aliens (which, sorry, is extremely unlikely).


Given that there are between 100 and 400 billion stars and at least 100 billion planets in this galaxy, alien life is extremely likely, intelligent life also likely, star-fairing intelligent life also. But not necessarily carbon based or organic.


12 posted on 05/04/2020 2:35:29 PM PDT by PIF (They came for me and mine ... now its your turn)
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To: BenLurkin
Just in ... several signals bouncing around the galaxy have been effectively received and deciphered!

"Say goodnight, Gracie."

"Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?"

"Jack Armstrong! Jack Armstrong! The All-American Boy."

"Mr. District Attorney, Champion of the People!"

13 posted on 05/04/2020 2:35:40 PM PDT by Dr. Sivana (There is no salvation in politics)
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To: BenLurkin

14 posted on 05/04/2020 2:36:46 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have 'hobbies.' I'm developing a robust post-Apocalyptic skill set.)
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To: Da Coyote
You are playing brane games!👽
15 posted on 05/04/2020 2:39:53 PM PDT by 6ppc (Democrats would have to climb Everest to reach the level of "scum of the earth")
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To: 6SJ7; AdmSmith; AFPhys; Arkinsaw; allmost; aristotleman; autumnraine; bajabaja; ...
Thanks BenLurkin.

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16 posted on 05/04/2020 2:40:54 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (Imagine an imaginary menagerie manager imagining managing an imaginary menagerie.)
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To: BenLurkin

“Be sure to drink your Ovaltine”


17 posted on 05/04/2020 2:41:44 PM PDT by nesnah (Liberals - the petulant children of politics)
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To: BenLurkin

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.


18 posted on 05/04/2020 2:42:22 PM PDT by Nateman (If the left is not screaming, you are doing it wrong.)
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To: BenLurkin

Probably just an echo effect. 8>)


19 posted on 05/04/2020 2:47:21 PM PDT by Robert DeLong
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To: Da Coyote

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.


20 posted on 05/04/2020 2:47:41 PM PDT by Stosh
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