Astronomers have made an discovery of a powerful radio signal, known as FRB 20220610A, has traveled through space for an incredible 8 billion years before reaching Earth.
What is FRB 20220610A?
FRB 20220610A is a fast radio burst (FRB) that is a brief, intense flash of radio waves which will last for only milliseconds. Though they occur only for a short time, these bursts are highly energetic.
The energy emitted by FRB 20220610A in a fraction of a second is equal to same energy our Sun produces over 30 years. The signal’s journey across 8 billion years in the deep space highlights its immense power and the vastness of space.
The detection of FRB 20220610A was a breakthrough in astrophysics. It allows scientists to study the distant past of our universe, which may end up in finding the processes and events that occurred billions of years ago.
The signal was first detected using the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP), with the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope pinpointing its source galaxy. One of the most intriguing aspects of FRB 20220610A is its potential to help solve the “missing matter” problem. Current cosmological models suggest that over half of the universe’s normal matter is unaccounted for.
FRBs can detect ionized material in the vast, empty spaces between galaxies, providing a means to measure this elusive matter. The Macquart relation, established in 2020, uses FRBs to trace this hidden matter, and FRB 20220610A’s detection supports this method.
