Mysterious Radio Bursts from Ancient Galaxy Baffle Astronomers

The CHIME radio telescope array in Canada has detected a series of intriguing fast radio bursts (FRBs) from a distant galaxy, raising new questions about their origins. Between February and July 2024, the array identified 22 bursts emanating from FRB 20240209A, located on the outskirts of an ancient galaxy approximately 11 billion years old. Notably, six of these bursts were also captured by the k’niʔatn k’l◡stk’masqt auxiliary telescope, situated nearly 70 kilometers away. This discovery is significant because it challenges the conventional understanding that FRBs typically originate from regions abundant with young stars.

Astronomers have been fascinated by fast radio bursts since their initial discovery. Despite observing thousands of such events, only about 100 have been traced back to their sources. The majority of these originate from galaxies bustling with stellar activity. However, the latest findings defy this pattern as the ancient galaxy hosting FRB 20240209A has long passed its star-forming era. Scientists used signals from both the CHIME telescope array and the k’niʔatn k’l◡stk’masqt auxiliary telescope to precisely triangulate the FRB’s location in the sky.

The k’niʔatn k’l◡stk’masqt telescope, whose name translates to "a listening device for outer space" in the language of the Upper Similkameen people, played a crucial role in this discovery. The combination of signals from both telescopes enabled astronomers to pinpoint the FRB’s origin with unprecedented accuracy. The team has since applied for observations with the James Webb Space Telescope to investigate whether a globular cluster, which could be a potential source for these bursts, exists at that location.

In 2021, astronomers identified an FRB originating from a globular cluster filled primarily with older stars in a nearby galaxy. This precedent suggests that similar clusters might explain the recent observation. Tarraneh Eftekhari commented on the matter, stating:

"I think that magnetars are still a compelling origin story for FRBs."

The discovery was documented in two papers published in the February 1 edition of the Astrophysical Journal Letters. The CHIME telescope array, renowned for its contributions to astrophysics, continues to shed light on the enigmatic nature of FRBs.