Signal FRB 20240304B travelled for more than 10 billion years and originated when the universe was about 3 billion years old, researchers said.
Researchers have detected the fast radio burst FRB 20240304B, which they estimate is the most distant recorded so far. The radio signal travelled for more than 10 billion years, spanning roughly 80% of cosmic history.
The burst was detected with the MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa. Researchers then used observations from the James Webb Space Telescope to identify the galaxy from which the signal came. It existed when the universe was about 3 billion years old.
Fast radio bursts last for fractions of a second but can release enormous amounts of energy. Their origins remain under investigation. Scientists are considering several possible sources, including magnetars, neutron stars with exceptionally strong magnetic fields.
The findings were published in the journal Science. Astrophysicist Themiya Nanayakkara of the University of Sydney said neither Earth nor the Sun existed when the signal was produced. The work also gives researchers a way to study early galaxies, which contained far fewer heavy elements than galaxies do today.