Carnegie: Cosmic Radio Burst Caught in the Act

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Carnegie: Cosmic Radio Burst Caught in the Act

Post by bystander » Mon Jan 19, 2015 5:34 pm

Caught in the Act: Cosmic Radio Burst
Carnegie Institution | via EurekAlert | 2015 Jan 19
29995c3ff465195ad6edab36174cbaca[1].jpg
A schematic illustration of CSIRO’s Parkes radio telescope receiving the polarised
signal from the new ‘fast radio burst’. Credit: Swinburne Astronomy Productions

Fast radio bursts are quick, bright flashes of radio waves from an unknown source in space. They are a mysterious phenomenon that last only a few milliseconds, and until now they have not been observed in real time. ...

There is a great deal of scientific interest in fast radio bursts, particularly in uncovering their origin. ...

Only seven fast radio bursts have previously been discovered, since the first one found in 2007. All were found retroactively by combing through data from the Parkes radio telescope in eastern Australia and the Arecibo telescope in Puerto Rico.

"These bursts were generally discovered weeks or months or even more than a decade after they happened! We're the first to catch one in real time," said Emily Petroff ...

In order to observe the fast radio burst in real time, the team mobilized 12 telescopes around the world and in space, including Carnegie's Magellan and Swope telescopes. Each telescope followed-up on the original burst observation at different wavelengths. ...

Snapshot of cosmic burst of radio waves
Neils Bohr Institute | 2015 Jan 19

Cosmic radio burst caught red-handed
CAASTRO | RAS | 2015 Jan 19

A real-time fast radio burst: polarization detection and multiwavelength follow-up - E. Petroff et al
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Re: Carnegie: Cosmic Radio Burst Caught in the Act

Post by MargaritaMc » Tue Jan 20, 2015 10:04 am

Last edited by MargaritaMc on Tue Jan 20, 2015 10:33 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Carnegie: Cosmic Radio Burst Caught in the Act

Post by MargaritaMc » Tue Jan 20, 2015 10:15 am

"In those rare moments of total quiet with a dark sky, I again feel the awe that struck me as a child. The feeling is utterly overwhelming as my mind races out across the stars. I feel peaceful and serene."
— Dr Debra M. Elmegreen, Fellow of the AAAS

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