Astronomers trace record-bright radio burst to distant galaxy
On March 16, 2025, astronomers detected a powerful short signal from deep space. It was designated FRB 20250316A. Such events are known as fast radio bursts, which are fractions of a second when an intense stream of radio waves from a distant galaxy reaches Earth, Kazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
The authors of the study, published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, note that this burst was unusual, ranking among the brightest ever observed, and that a new telescope system made it possible to pinpoint its exact origin.
The signal came from the spiral galaxy NGC 4141, located about 40 megaparsecs (roughly 130 million light-years) away. More precisely, the burst was traced to the outskirts of a star-forming region, rather than its center. The source was offset by about 190 parsecs from the nearest cluster of young stars. By contrast, most previously discovered repeating fast radio bursts have come from active regions where new stars are being born.
Until now, astronomers have been able to study in detail mainly repeating fast radio bursts, those that flare up again and again. They are easier to “catch” and localize. Yet they make up only about 2–3 percent of all known events. The rest are “one-off” bursts. FRB 20250316A belongs to this group, and for the first time scientists managed to examine its surroundings in such detail.
Following the discovery of FRB 20250316A, astronomers carried out observations in radio, optical, and X-ray ranges using telescopes around the world. No repeat bursts or persistent radio source were detected at the location, setting it apart from some previously known repeating FRBs.
For now, scientists cannot say for certain what causes these bursts of radio waves. One theory points to young neutron stars with extremely powerful magnetic fields, known as magnetars. But it is also possible that such signals come from more “delayed” channels of origin, not linked to young sources.
Scientists hope that further observations will help shed light on the mechanisms behind such powerful radio signals in the universe. The authors of the study note that a new era is beginning: from now on, research of this kind can be carried out on a regular basis.
Earlier, Kazinform News Agency reported that residents of western Japan witnessed a rare sight when a sudden flash lit up the sky for a few seconds.
