News Astronomy

Some fast radio bursts come from the spiral arms of other galaxies

Locating the bursts’ homes suggests a connection to ordinary, young stars

side-by-side comparison of images of a galaxy

A Hubble Space Telescope image (left) of a galaxy known to host a ‘fast radio burst’ helps ID where in the galaxy the blast originated (oval). After image processing (right), the burst’s origin appears centered on one of the galaxy’s spiral arms.

NASA, ESA, Alexandra Mannings/University of California Santa Cruz, Wen-fai Fong/Northwestern University, Alyssa Pagan/STScI

By Lisa Grossman

- More than 2 years ago

Five brief, bright blasts of radio waves from deep space now have precise addresses.