Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are notoriously difficult to study. They are flashes of radio light that can outshine a galaxy but often last for only a fraction of a second. For years, all we could do was observe them by random chance and wonder about their origins.

Astronomers have detected thousands of these bursts, but how they are born has been a hotly debated topic. Some theories suggest they originate from powerful shockwaves, while oth

Astronomers finally discovered the origin of fast radio bursts (FRBs)–mysterious and powerful bursts from outer space first seen in 2007.

Fast radio bursts are brief and brilliant explosions of radio waves emitted by extremely compact objects such as neutron stars and possibly black holes. These fleeting fireworks last for just a thousandth of a second and can carry an enormous amount of energy—enough to briefly outshine entire galaxies.

Now, a team of astronomers from MIT has pinpointed the origin of one such fast radio burst using a novel technique that could be applied to other FRBs. In their study, the team focused on FRB 20221022A, detected from a galaxy 200 million light-years away.

Since then, new instruments have identified thousands of fast radio bursts, some of which repeat on set intervals. This has allowed scientists to narrow the list of possible sources to intensely magnetic neutron stars known as magnetars and possibly black holes.