Astronomers have found an explanation for strange radio signals from space

Japanese astronomers have summarized data on seven thousand repeating radio signals from three different cosmic sources and identified an interesting pattern, LIFE.ru reports. It is clarified that we are talking about a phenomenon known as fast radio bursts, which last thousandths of a second and are unexpectedly similar in nature to earthquakes.

As the publication writes, today approximately 50 sources of repeating fast radio bursts are known. One of the most curious is the object FRB 20180916B in the constellation Cassiopeia, located 457 million light years from Earth. Such instantaneous radio signals regularly emanate from it every 16.35 days. The source in the constellation Auriga behaves similarly: 90 days of radio signals alternate with 67 days of silence.

At the same time, fast radio bursts are powerful bursts of energy, which, for example, takes the Sun several days to produce. Their reasons are still unknown. However, Japanese scientists have established an unexpected similarity between these phenomena and earthquakes. According to the researchers, in both cases the main event is followed by “aftershocks” that subside over time. Astrophysicists suggest that the neutron stars that are the sources of these radio signals, due to their enormous density, have a solid surface that releases colossal amounts of energy when shaking.

Previously, scientists were able to establish that the atmosphere of Jupiter’s satellite Callisto contains a large amount of oxygen. Astronomers have discovered auroras over Callisto with an extremely high content of free electrons. According to physicists, this indicates an abundance of oxygen atoms in the atmosphere.