We are talking about so-called "fast radio signals" - single radio pulses that last a fraction of a second. Such radio signals are so powerful that they contain energy that the Sun emits for several thousand years!
The first ever fast radio pulse was detected in 2007 - it was seen when analyzing data sets from 6 years ago. The pulse came from an unremarkable region of space, and no repeat signals were received from there. What was it? Scientists simply threw up their hands.
In subsequent years, until recently, information was published about the registration of another 30 fast radio signals. Of course, in reality, such signals could be recorded much more, but it takes a long time to process arrays of data from radio telescopes.
Usually fast radio pulses are recorded after a considerable period of time, but in March 2018, within a few days, astronomers from Swinburne University in Melbourne recorded three fast radio signals at once - the most powerful in history. Remarkably, the signals were distinguished not in archival data, but practically "live". Perhaps this will help scientists understand the source of the radio pulses, immediately directing telescopes to the area of their origin.What could theoretically cause such powerful and short-lived bursts? Among the most likely candidates: the merger of two neutron stars, the evaporation or appearance of a black hole, and, of course, the most unlikely, but also the most intriguing assumption: the activity of extraterrestrial civilizations.
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