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Articles on Fast radio bursts

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Mysterious blasts of radio waves from across the universe called fast radio bursts are getting more attention from astronomers. ESO/M. Kornmesser

535 new fast radio bursts help answer deep questions about the universe and shed light on these mysterious cosmic events

Fast radio bursts are the focus of a young and fascinating field of astronomy. Researchers just released data on more than 500 new bursts, quadrupling the total number of detected events.
Diligence, technological progress and a little luck have together solved a 20 year mystery of the cosmos. CSIRO/Alex Cherney

Half the matter in the universe was missing – we found it hiding in the cosmos

Cosmologists had only been able to find half the matter that should exist in the universe. With the discovery of a new astronomical phenomenon and new telescopes, researchers just found the rest.
A view from CSIRO’s Australian SKA Pathfinder (ASKAP) radio telescope antenna 29, with the phased array feed receiver in the centre, Southern Cross on the left and the Moon on the right. CSIRO/Alex Cherney

How we closed in on the location of a fast radio burst in a galaxy far, far away

For the first time scientists have located the home galaxy of a one-off fast radio burst. Here’s how they did it – and what they learned about the galaxy.
Artist’s impressiong of the Square Kilometre Array, which will revolutionise our ability to detect fast radio bursts. SKA Project Development Office and Swinburne Astronomy Productions - Swinburne Astronomy Productions for SKA Project Development Office

Message from aliens or colliding objects? The hunt for enigmatic radio bursts is about to get real

A technological revolution in astronomical observations could be the key to understanding the perplexing phenonenon known as ‘fast radio bursts’ from outer space.
Scientists knew the mystery signals were close by the Parkes radio telescope: but what was the source? Flickr/Amanda Slater

How we found the source of the mystery signals at The Dish

Astronomers used to probing the universe always knew that strange signals detected by the Parkes radio telescope were coming from somewhere closer to home. But finding the source was the tricky bit.
A fast radio burst was detected live at Parkes in May 2014. Flickr/Wayne England

A faster response needed to see Fast Radio Bursts in the universe

Astronomers are trying to improve their hunt for rapid bursts of radio emission in the universe called Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) so they can better observe these mysterious events, which are thought to…

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