Astronomers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have detected a fast radio burst (FRB) coming from a distant galaxy that appears to be flashing with surprising regularity.
These types of signals are usually short-lasting. However, this new signal persists for up to three seconds, about 1,000 times longer than the average FRB. Within this window, the MIT team detected bursts of radio waves that repeat every 0.2 seconds in a clear periodic pattern, similar to a beating heart.
The new signal, labelled 'FRB 20191221A', is the longest-lasting FRB, with the clearest periodic pattern detected to date.
The origin of the radio signal remains a mystery, although researchers have been able to trace it back to a galaxy located several billion light-years from Earth.
“There are not many things in the universe that emit strictly periodic signals,” said Daniele Michilli, a member of the MIT research team. "Examples that we know of in our own...