Astronomers have discovered a mysterious radio signal from a galaxy similar to ours

Astronomers have found a mysterious signal originating from a nearby galaxy that looks very similar to our own galaxy. These recent findings could help solve the mystery of unexplained fast radio bursts that have been sent through the universe. These radio bursts could have resulted from unknown natural phenomena or even alien life.

The mystery of Fast radio bursts

Scientists have been hunting for the origin of radio-bursts for over 10 years. While in the past they have been able to detect hundreds of signals, they have managed to pinpoint very few. Scientists have only managed to identify 4 signals and this newest one brings the total to 5. The latest signal originates from a nearby galaxy.

The galaxy in question that is sending out these signals seems to be very similar to our own. According to Sarah Burke-Spolaor, assistant professor of physics and astronomy and co-author on a new paper in Nature said that identifying the host galaxy is very important for understanding the fast-radio bursts. Only after identifying the origin of the fast radio bursts can scientists try to find out what type of environment ar producing the fast-radio bursts.

Pinpointing these fast-radio bursts is very difficult because they only last for a few milliseconds and could originate anywhere in the sky. This means that a detailed examination of these signals is very hard.

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Mass of the Milky Way

In related news, according to a new study, the mass of the Milky Way Galaxy is 890 billion times than that of Sun. In order to study the mass of the galaxy, the researchers used a sophisticated model. As per the new study, the size of the Galaxy is estimated to be 256,000 light-years across.

According to the researchers, it is a difficult task to estimate the size, mass, and shape of the galaxy from within, as the Milky Way Galaxy is surrounded by a layer of interstellar gases and the occluding stars. The researchers, however, designed a model after gathering information from various sources which helped in understanding the movement of gases, stars and other materials around the galaxy. The scientists termed the movement as the ‘rotational curve’. The curve helped the scientists in understanding the dynamics of the galaxy and the distance between the galactic objects.

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Read: Milky Way Galaxy 890 Times Heavier Than Mass Of The Sun: Study

(with inputs from agencies)