{"id":881,"date":"2019-07-16T07:54:33","date_gmt":"2019-07-16T07:54:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/horizon.peachpuff-wolverine-566518.hostingersite.com\/?p=881"},"modified":"2019-07-16T07:54:33","modified_gmt":"2019-07-16T07:54:33","slug":"why-hunting-for-fast-radio-bursts-is-an-exploding-field-in-astronomy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/881\/why-hunting-for-fast-radio-bursts-is-an-exploding-field-in-astronomy\/","title":{"rendered":"Why hunting for fast radio bursts is an \u2018exploding field\u2019 in astronomy"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

by Jonathan O’Callaghan<\/p>\n

Little more than a decade ago, two astronomers discovered mysterious bursts of radio waves that seem to take place all over the sky, often outshining all the stars in a galaxy. Since then, the study of these fast radio bursts, or FRBs, has taken off, and while we still don\u2019t know what exactly they are or what causes them, scientists are now edging closer to some answers.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\n
\n
\n

FRBs were first detected in 2007 by astronomers Duncan Lorimer and David Narkevic. While using the Parkes Observatory in Australia, the duo were stunned to witness an incredibly bright flash of radio waves coming from space. This strange event was called a Lorimer burst.<\/p>\n

Since then, about 100 FRB discoveries have been announced. We\u2019ve been able to pinpoint the location of some to other galaxies \u2013 none appear to take place inside the Milky Way \u2013 as well as see some happening in real-time and even witness FRBs that repeat. Despite numerous observations and plenty of data, we\u2019re still at a loss to explain exactly what they are.<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s not so often in astrophysics that there\u2019s a new phenomenon that we really don\u2019t understand and we have the opportunity to learn something genuinely new,\u2019 said Dr Jason Hessels from the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands.<\/p>\n

Radio telescopes<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dr Hessels\u00a0coordinated a project called\u00a0DRAGNET<\/a>, which ran from 2014 to 2018 and sought to observe and study more FRBs. It used radio telescopes around the world \u2013 including the Low-Frequency Array, or\u00a0LOFAR<\/a>\u00a0telescope, in the Netherlands \u2013 to hunt for exotic stars and FRBs. At the time the project was proposed in 2012, however, people weren\u2019t certain that FRBs were even real.<\/p>\n

Yet, in 2015 the project made a key breakthrough. It discovered that a known FRB in another galaxy \u2013 dubbed FRB 121102 \u2013 was repeating. This discovery allowed astronomers to work out where the FRB was coming from \u2013 a faint dwarf galaxy 3 billion light-years from Earth. We\u2019ve since found\u00a0a second repeating burst<\/a>, but until that first one, all FRBs had been single events.<\/p>\n

\u2018That\u2019s been a huge treasure chest of information,\u2019 said Dr Hessels, referring to FRB 121102. \u2018We\u2019ve detected hundreds of bursts from it.\u2019<\/p>\n

Each flash lasts just a millisecond or so but can emit more energy than 500 million suns. As such, FRB 121102 is clearly noticeable against the backdrop of a galaxy, especially one as faint as this. Even at such a great distance, and having been produced before multicellular life on Earth began, the flash is intense enough for us to measure today.<\/p>\n

When FRBs were first discovered, it was thought that they might be caused by cataclysmic events such as neutron stars \u2013 the remnant cores of collapsed giant stars \u2013 or black holes merging together. The fact that some FRBs repeat, however, suggests that might not be the case, although there could be multiple types of FRB.<\/p>\n

Star quakes<\/strong><\/p>\n

Our best explanation so far is that they are caused by magnetars, neutron stars that have incredibly strong magnetic fields. It\u2019s thought that these stars have enough energy to produce the bright flashes associated with FRBs, experiencing \u2018star quakes\u2019 as the magnetic field rips the crust of the star apart, releasing a huge amount of energy (although recent results released on\u00a027 June<\/a>\u00a0suggest a possible unknown alternative origin for some FRBs).<\/p>\n

\u2018That released energy could be ramming into all the material surrounding the magnetar, and that causes a shock and can accelerate particles that produce radio waves and a radio burst like we observe,\u2019 said Dr Hessels.<\/p>\n

To better answer this question, the ongoing\u00a0MeerTRAP project<\/a>\u00a0is trying to find more FRBs, which might get us closer to an answer. The project uses the\u00a0MeerKAT<\/a>\u00a0radio telescope array in South Africa to look for pulses of radio waves in the sky. During the array\u2019s standard astronomical observations, the MeerTRAP team piggybacks onboard to obtain the data \u2013 about 10 gigabytes a second \u2013 to look for FRBs.<\/p>\n

\u2018We just take data from where they have chosen to point,\u2019 said Dr Benjamin Stappers from the University of Manchester, UK, and the project coordinator for MeerTRAP. \u2018It doesn\u2019t matter too much where the telescope is pointing, because they should be uniform across the sky.\u2019<\/p>\n

The project hasn\u2019t started looking for FRBs yet, but plans to start doing so in July 2019. The MeerTRAP team hopes to find between two and five FRBs per week, with the possibility of looking for both FRBs that occur just once and repeating ones, as the telescopes will return to the same part of the sky on regular occasions.<\/p>\n

\n
\n

‘It\u2019s not so often in astrophysics that there\u2019s a new phenomena that we really don\u2019t understand and we have the opportunity to learn something genuinely new.’<\/p>\n

Dr Jason Hessels, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

Origin<\/strong><\/p>\n

All of this data should help us better work out the origin of FRBs. \u2018One way to work out what the cause of them is, is to understand where they happen in a galaxy, and what types of galaxies they happen in,\u2019 said Dr Stappers.<\/p>\n

Astronomers also want to work out how many types of FRB there are. So far, we know that some of them repeat and some do not, but how many repeat is still unknown. It could be that these two types are formed in different ways, so finding more of them could help us better answer that question.<\/p>\n

\u2018There\u2019s also the probability that FRBs will also pass through the outer regions of other galaxies that lie along the line of sight,\u2019 said Dr Stappers. \u2018So you can use them like shining a torch and see what happens to the light as it passes through those other galaxies. You can learn something about the nature of those intervening galaxies.\u2019<\/p>\n

The MeerTRAP project will also be looking for rapidly rotating neutron stars, called pulsars, to better test our theories of gravity. If a pulsar was found orbiting another star or even a black hole, the change in its rotation could tell us more about how gravity works at the extreme end of physics.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s FRBs, however, that are garnering the headlines at the moment. With more and more discoveries on the way, it\u2019s hoped we might have an answer soon about some of their mysteries.<\/p>\n

\u2018The field is really exploding,\u2019 said Dr Hessels, noting we may know of more than 1,000 by the end of the year. \u2018Probably in the next few years we will have a pretty good idea of what\u2019s causing them.\u2019<\/p>\n

The research in this article was funded by the EU’s European Research Council. If you liked this article, please consider sharing it on social media.<\/em><\/p>\n

Originally published on Horizon<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Jonathan O’Callaghan Little more than a decade ago, two astronomers discovered mysterious bursts of radio waves that seem to take place all over the sky, often outshining all the stars in a galaxy. Since then, the study of these fast radio bursts, or FRBs, has taken off, and while we still don\u2019t know what … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":298,"featured_media":882,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"generate_page_header":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[149,79,24,35,289,145],"class_list":["post-881","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-space","tag-astronomy","tag-research","tag-science","tag-space","tag-space-observation","tag-telescope"],"yoast_head":"\nWhy hunting for fast radio bursts is an \u2018exploding field\u2019 in astronomy - Horizon Magazine Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/881\/why-hunting-for-fast-radio-bursts-is-an-exploding-field-in-astronomy\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why hunting for fast radio bursts is an \u2018exploding field\u2019 in astronomy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"by Jonathan O’Callaghan Little more than a decade ago, two astronomers discovered mysterious bursts of radio waves that seem to take place all over the sky, often outshining all the stars in a galaxy. Since then, the study of these fast radio bursts, or FRBs, has taken off, and while we still don\u2019t know what ... Read more\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/881\/why-hunting-for-fast-radio-bursts-is-an-exploding-field-in-astronomy\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Horizon Magazine Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/horizon.magazine.eu\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-07-16T07:54:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/Gemini_FRB_inset.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"443\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Horizon Magazine\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/HorizonMagEU\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Horizon Magazine\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/881\\\/why-hunting-for-fast-radio-bursts-is-an-exploding-field-in-astronomy\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/881\\\/why-hunting-for-fast-radio-bursts-is-an-exploding-field-in-astronomy\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Horizon Magazine\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8f23522ba58f477f04dd574e1034f679\"},\"headline\":\"Why hunting for fast radio bursts is an \u2018exploding field\u2019 in astronomy\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-07-16T07:54:33+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/881\\\/why-hunting-for-fast-radio-bursts-is-an-exploding-field-in-astronomy\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1133,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/881\\\/why-hunting-for-fast-radio-bursts-is-an-exploding-field-in-astronomy\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2019\\\/07\\\/Gemini_FRB_inset.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"astronomy\",\"research\",\"science\",\"space\",\"space observation\",\"telescope\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Space\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"copyrightYear\":\"2019\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/881\\\/why-hunting-for-fast-radio-bursts-is-an-exploding-field-in-astronomy\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/881\\\/why-hunting-for-fast-radio-bursts-is-an-exploding-field-in-astronomy\\\/\",\"name\":\"Why hunting for fast radio bursts is an \u2018exploding field\u2019 in astronomy - Horizon Magazine Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/881\\\/why-hunting-for-fast-radio-bursts-is-an-exploding-field-in-astronomy\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/881\\\/why-hunting-for-fast-radio-bursts-is-an-exploding-field-in-astronomy\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2019\\\/07\\\/Gemini_FRB_inset.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-07-16T07:54:33+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/881\\\/why-hunting-for-fast-radio-bursts-is-an-exploding-field-in-astronomy\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/881\\\/why-hunting-for-fast-radio-bursts-is-an-exploding-field-in-astronomy\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/881\\\/why-hunting-for-fast-radio-bursts-is-an-exploding-field-in-astronomy\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2019\\\/07\\\/Gemini_FRB_inset.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2019\\\/07\\\/Gemini_FRB_inset.jpg\",\"width\":500,\"height\":443,\"caption\":\"FRB 121102, a repeating burst, was discovered in 2015. This discovery enabled astronomers to figure out what galaxy the FRB came from and in turn locate hundreds more FRBs. Image credit - Gemini Observatory \\\/ AURA \\\/ NSF \\\/ NRC\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/881\\\/why-hunting-for-fast-radio-bursts-is-an-exploding-field-in-astronomy\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Why hunting for fast radio bursts is an \u2018exploding field\u2019 in astronomy\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/\",\"name\":\"Horizon Magazine Blog\",\"description\":\"The EU Research & Innovation Magazine\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Horizon Magazine Blog\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/eu-logo.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/eu-logo.jpg\",\"width\":601,\"height\":283,\"caption\":\"Horizon Magazine Blog\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8f23522ba58f477f04dd574e1034f679\",\"name\":\"Horizon Magazine\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/407bd816be829798850d5e7f646c4137f70c86c6af6c761b67a6ea80c364ffa4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/407bd816be829798850d5e7f646c4137f70c86c6af6c761b67a6ea80c364ffa4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/407bd816be829798850d5e7f646c4137f70c86c6af6c761b67a6ea80c364ffa4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Horizon Magazine\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/horizon.magazine.eu\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/https:\\\/\\\/twitter.com\\\/HorizonMagEU\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/scienceblog.com\\\/horizon\\\/author\\\/horizonmagazine\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Why hunting for fast radio bursts is an \u2018exploding field\u2019 in astronomy - Horizon Magazine Blog","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/881\/why-hunting-for-fast-radio-bursts-is-an-exploding-field-in-astronomy\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Why hunting for fast radio bursts is an \u2018exploding field\u2019 in astronomy","og_description":"by Jonathan O’Callaghan Little more than a decade ago, two astronomers discovered mysterious bursts of radio waves that seem to take place all over the sky, often outshining all the stars in a galaxy. Since then, the study of these fast radio bursts, or FRBs, has taken off, and while we still don\u2019t know what ... Read more","og_url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/881\/why-hunting-for-fast-radio-bursts-is-an-exploding-field-in-astronomy\/","og_site_name":"Horizon Magazine Blog","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/horizon.magazine.eu","article_published_time":"2019-07-16T07:54:33+00:00","og_image":[{"width":500,"height":443,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/Gemini_FRB_inset.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Horizon Magazine","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/HorizonMagEU","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Horizon Magazine","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/881\/why-hunting-for-fast-radio-bursts-is-an-exploding-field-in-astronomy\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/881\/why-hunting-for-fast-radio-bursts-is-an-exploding-field-in-astronomy\/"},"author":{"name":"Horizon Magazine","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#\/schema\/person\/8f23522ba58f477f04dd574e1034f679"},"headline":"Why hunting for fast radio bursts is an \u2018exploding field\u2019 in astronomy","datePublished":"2019-07-16T07:54:33+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/881\/why-hunting-for-fast-radio-bursts-is-an-exploding-field-in-astronomy\/"},"wordCount":1133,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/881\/why-hunting-for-fast-radio-bursts-is-an-exploding-field-in-astronomy\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/Gemini_FRB_inset.jpg","keywords":["astronomy","research","science","space","space observation","telescope"],"articleSection":["Space"],"inLanguage":"en-US","copyrightYear":"2019","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/881\/why-hunting-for-fast-radio-bursts-is-an-exploding-field-in-astronomy\/","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/881\/why-hunting-for-fast-radio-bursts-is-an-exploding-field-in-astronomy\/","name":"Why hunting for fast radio bursts is an \u2018exploding field\u2019 in astronomy - Horizon Magazine Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/881\/why-hunting-for-fast-radio-bursts-is-an-exploding-field-in-astronomy\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/881\/why-hunting-for-fast-radio-bursts-is-an-exploding-field-in-astronomy\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/Gemini_FRB_inset.jpg","datePublished":"2019-07-16T07:54:33+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/881\/why-hunting-for-fast-radio-bursts-is-an-exploding-field-in-astronomy\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/881\/why-hunting-for-fast-radio-bursts-is-an-exploding-field-in-astronomy\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/881\/why-hunting-for-fast-radio-bursts-is-an-exploding-field-in-astronomy\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/Gemini_FRB_inset.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/Gemini_FRB_inset.jpg","width":500,"height":443,"caption":"FRB 121102, a repeating burst, was discovered in 2015. This discovery enabled astronomers to figure out what galaxy the FRB came from and in turn locate hundreds more FRBs. Image credit - Gemini Observatory \/ AURA \/ NSF \/ NRC"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/881\/why-hunting-for-fast-radio-bursts-is-an-exploding-field-in-astronomy\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Why hunting for fast radio bursts is an \u2018exploding field\u2019 in astronomy"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#website","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/","name":"Horizon Magazine Blog","description":"The EU Research & Innovation Magazine","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#organization","name":"Horizon Magazine Blog","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/04\/eu-logo.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/04\/eu-logo.jpg","width":601,"height":283,"caption":"Horizon Magazine Blog"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/#\/schema\/person\/8f23522ba58f477f04dd574e1034f679","name":"Horizon Magazine","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/407bd816be829798850d5e7f646c4137f70c86c6af6c761b67a6ea80c364ffa4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/407bd816be829798850d5e7f646c4137f70c86c6af6c761b67a6ea80c364ffa4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/407bd816be829798850d5e7f646c4137f70c86c6af6c761b67a6ea80c364ffa4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Horizon Magazine"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/horizon.magazine.eu","https:\/\/x.com\/https:\/\/twitter.com\/HorizonMagEU"],"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/author\/horizonmagazine\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/07\/Gemini_FRB_inset.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pgtNKV-ed","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1896,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/1896\/is-europe-entering-a-golden-age-of-astronomy\/","url_meta":{"origin":881,"position":0},"title":"Is Europe entering a golden age of astronomy?","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"December 9, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Groundbreaking discoveries about gravitational waves, black holes, cosmic rays, neutrinos and other areas of cutting-edge astronomy may soon become more frequent due to the convergence of two major communities of astronomers in a fresh project. \u00a0 Previously, Europe had two major collaborative networks for ground-based astronomy running over the past\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Space"","block_context":{"text":"Space","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/space\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/12\/radio_antennas_shutterstock_730683406.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/12\/radio_antennas_shutterstock_730683406.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/12\/radio_antennas_shutterstock_730683406.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2021\/12\/radio_antennas_shutterstock_730683406.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":769,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/769\/astronomers-reveal-first-ever-image-of-a-black-hole\/","url_meta":{"origin":881,"position":1},"title":"Astronomers reveal first-ever image of a black hole","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"April 10, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"by\u00a0Jonathan O'Callaghan Scientists have revealed the first ever image of a black hole, a major milestone in astrophysics which not only backs up Einstein\u2019s theory of general relativity but also opens up a new era of black hole observations. The image shows the event horizon \u2013 the gravitational point of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Space"","block_context":{"text":"Space","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/space\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Image credit - EHT Collaboration","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/04\/eso1907a-resize.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/04\/eso1907a-resize.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/04\/eso1907a-resize.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/04\/eso1907a-resize.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/04\/eso1907a-resize.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/04\/eso1907a-resize.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2152,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/2152\/searching-the-skies-for-the-building-blocks-of-life-in-the-universe\/","url_meta":{"origin":881,"position":2},"title":"Searching the skies for the building blocks of life in the universe","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"September 12, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The time has come for the James Webb Space Telescope to take exoplanet astronomy to the outer reaches. European researchers have been doing a lot of groundwork in preparation for this moment. BY MICHAEL ALLEN Since its 25 December 2021 launch aboard an Ariane 5 rocket from French Guiana and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Space"","block_context":{"text":"Space","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/space\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/09\/12b.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/09\/12b.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/09\/12b.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/09\/12b.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/09\/12b.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2022\/09\/12b.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2295,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/2295\/the-mysterious-black-behemoths-controlling-our-galaxies\/","url_meta":{"origin":881,"position":3},"title":"The mysterious black behemoths controlling our galaxies","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"February 13, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Scientists try to unravel the birth, growth and power of black holes, some of the most forceful yet difficult-to-detect objects in our Universe. By\u00a0\u00a0ANTHONY KING It was only last year that astronomers were finally able to unveil the first pictures of the supermassive black hole at the centre of our\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Space"","block_context":{"text":"Space","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/space\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/02\/blackhole_gas_crop.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/02\/blackhole_gas_crop.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/02\/blackhole_gas_crop.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/02\/blackhole_gas_crop.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/02\/blackhole_gas_crop.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2023\/02\/blackhole_gas_crop.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":369,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/369\/antimatter-plasma-reveals-secrets-of-deep-space-signals\/","url_meta":{"origin":881,"position":4},"title":"Antimatter plasma reveals secrets of deep space signals","author":"Jude Gonzalez","date":"July 16, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Mysterious radiation emitted from distant corners of the galaxy could finally be explained with efforts to recreate a unique state of matter that blinked into existence in the first moments after the Big Bang. For 50 years, astronomers have puzzled over strange radio waves and gamma rays thrown out from\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Space"","block_context":{"text":"Space","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/space\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A pulsar moving at supersonic speeds about 23,000 light years from Earth.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/pulsar_crp3.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/pulsar_crp3.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/pulsar_crp3.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/pulsar_crp3.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/pulsar_crp3.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2018\/07\/pulsar_crp3.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2876,"url":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/2876\/event-horizon-after-photographing-black-holes-scientists-are-now-making-a-movie\/","url_meta":{"origin":881,"position":5},"title":"Event horizon: After photographing black holes, scientists are now making a movie","author":"Horizon Magazine","date":"October 11, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"The first moving images of a black hole could reveal swirls of plasma and collapsing stars, deepening our understanding of the universe. By Jonathan O\u2019Callaghan A widespread misconception has long equated black holes in space with nothingness, \u2018the end of everything\u2019. But a global team of scientists, including EU-funded researchers,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Space"","block_context":{"text":"Space","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/category\/space\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/10\/11.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/10\/11.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/10\/11.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/10\/11.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/10\/11.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/10\/11.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/881","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/298"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=881"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/881\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/882"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=881"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=881"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}