Repetition of a mysterious radio signal from space
This is the first time scientists have detected a radio signal from outer space that repeats at a regular interval
Scientists have detected a mysterious radio signal coming from space while maintaining a specific pattern in a series of bursts from a single source, which is half a billion light-years away from Earth.
This is a series of "fast radio bursts" or FRBs which has been signalling across the universe - were detected about once an hour for four days and then stopped, only to start up again 12 days later, reports CNN.
The research was conducted by the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment/Fast Radio Burst Project collaboration between September 16, 2018 and October 30, 2019. They stated, "This cycle repeated every 16.35 days for more than a year."
According to a report of Science X Network, "The source could be a celestial body of some kind orbiting around a star or another body. In such a scenario, the signals would cease when they are obstructed by the other body."
From previous experiences, scientists have witnessed that, fast radio bursts are known to send out short, energetic radio waves multiple times. And usually, when they repeat, it's sporadic or in a cluster.
This is the first time, scientists have detected a radio signal from outer space that repeats at regular intervals.