Scientists detect 'alien' signal from distant galaxy
Scientists detect 'alien' signal from distant galaxy
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Scientists have detected a mysterious signal known as fast radio bursts coming from an ancient galaxy billions of light years away. Some experts have suggested that these fast radio bursts (FRBs), an intense burst of radio waves from deep space, could be extraterrestrials attempting to contact Earth, while others suspect black holes or collapsed stars are the source.
![[They traced it back to a dead galaxy (yellow oval) that is no longer producing stars. However, the exact origin is outside of the galaxy's center (dotted oval)]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/27/14/94559769-14323125-They_traced_it_back_to_a_dead_galaxy_yellow_oval_that_is_no_long-a-11_1737989662277.jpg)
Researchers from Northwestern University detected an FRB that produced 21 pulses, lasting a few milliseconds, from February through July 2023. What made the new discovery unique is that it was traced back to a 'dead' galaxy no longer producing stars. This is an unprecedented home for a phenomenon previously associated with much younger galaxies, suggesting that the origins of these mysterious cosmic events might be more diverse than previously thought.
Before this revelation, scientists theorized that FRBs only came from much younger galaxies that are still producing stars. The team pinpointed the source to an 11.3-billion-year-old neighboring galaxy located two billion light-years from Earth. One light year is equal to six trillion miles.
They honed in on the galaxy, finding it to be 'extremely luminous and incredibly massive — 100 billion times the mass of our sun.'. Radio Astronomer Tarraneh Eftekhari said: 'It seems to be the most massive FRB host galaxy to date. It's among some of the most massive galaxies out there.'.
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