A mysterious radio signal from 8 billion years ago has just reached Earth

Astronomers have uncovered something pretty remarkable emerging from the depths of space, after detecting a powerful series of radio waves.

What makes them truly astonishing is that these radio waves have been travelling through space for a total of 8 billion years – and it could help experts to gain a better understanding of one of the great mysteries of the universe.

The signal, known as FRB 20220610A, is made up of dazzling radio wave flashes that last just milliseconds at a time.

It’s one of the most distant ever recorded and no-one knows for sure where these bursts of energy come from, or indeed who might be sending them.

The strength of the newly observed signal is truly staggering, with FRB 20220610A emitting the same amount of energy that our sun produces in 30 years in the space of just a few milliseconds.

Experts involved in new research published in the journal Science have speculated that signals such as this one could be linked to the remains of exploded stars, known as magnetars.

These signals could theoretically help astronomers to put together a more comprehensive understanding of the universe, given that the weight of normal matter out there doesn’t add up to what experts theorise there should be.

One of the people involved in the research is astronomer Dr. Stuart Ryder from Macquarie University in Australia. He said: “FRBs are common and hold great promise. We could use them to create a new map of the universe’s structure and answer big questions about cosmology.”

Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

How to join the Indy100's free WhatsApp channel

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the Indy100 rankings