New space signals from deep space have been recorded

pixabay

This is the kind of signal that astronomers love to see on their screens. On June 27, Russian researchers published a report in which they claim to have succeeded, for the first time, in locating the source of a signal. Just days later, a new set of signals was detected by a Canadian telescope. 

Of course, the laymen we are imagining from the outset these signals as emanating from little green men. Insofar as they are a source of mysteries even for astronomers, there is something to be enthusiastic about. Especially for some observers, alien vessels could cause such phenomena.

60 signals detected so far

What signals are we talking about? Anglophones speak of "FRB" for "  Fast Radio Burst  ". Their name indicates it: they are "waves" of very fast radio signals. The wave that was detected by a set of Canadian telescopes in late June only hit the devices for a few milliseconds. 

This is not the first time that such a phenomenon has occurred. Since the commissioning of this Canadian observatory (CHIME) last year, 13 similar ones have been identified. Signals of this kind constitute one of the most enigmatic cosmic phenomena, even for specialists. In all, about sixty of these FRBs have been recorded since their first discovery in 2007. 

However, the signals that have just been received have something special: they are signals that are repeated. Until then, a repetitive signal had been recorded only once more, and by another telescope. It is, therefore, a priori a recurring phenomenon. The fact that these two signals have points in common also encourages researchers to think of them as a family of cosmic phenomena in their own right. For Ingrid Stairs, an astrophysicist at UBC (University of British Columbia), it's very encouraging: " Such an event suggests that there may be something else out there. With more repetitive signals and more sources for our research, we could better understand this cosmic puzzle: where they come from and where they come from. "

In a galaxy not so far away ...

The origin of signals is one of the two major issues of research. Repetitive patterns may be the easiest to draw. 

Shortly before the arrival of the new signals, scientists claimed to have succeeded in locating the source of two signals detected in 2012 and 2018. They would come from the M31 and M33 galaxies, 1.5 billion light-years from Earth. To be more precise (all things considered), these signals would have been emitted at 13,000 light-years from the center of their galaxies. Interestingly, the M31 and M33 galaxies are similar in size to our Milky Way. As a reminder, the Andromeda galaxy, the spiral galaxy closest to the Milky Way, is 2.55 billion light-years. At the scale of the universe, the origin of these signals is therefore close. 

Concerning the origin, the scientists remain in the blur. Various theories are emitted. Some imagine neutron stars centered around a very strong magnetic field. The most enthusiastic already imagines an alien intelligence, a ship that can issue such signals. Everything is still possible.