An 8 billion year signal is intercepted by scientists and sent to Earth.

An enigmatic and ancient radio signal that has been traveling from the furthest reaches of the cosmos to Earth for an astounding eight billion years—more than half the universe's lifespan—has been intercepted by astronomers.

The astronomers' findings, which were published in the journal Science, suggest that the signal—a rapid radio burst, or FRB—is the strongest ever recorded. So potent, in fact, that the FRB emitted the equivalent energy that our Sun generates in thirty years in less than a nanosecond.

According to Ryan Shannon, an astrophysicist at Swinburne University of Technology and co-author of the study, "that is enough power to microwave a bowl of popcorn about two times the size of the Sun," New Scientist said.

What could create an explosion this strong? Although astronomers are unsure, the researchers claim that this amazing discovery may assist solve the enigma surrounding the formation of FRBs and offer a priceless instrument for measuring the universe.

"The paper confirms that fast radio bursts are common events in the cosmos and that we will be able to use them to detect matter between galaxies, and better understand the structure of the universe," Shannon said in a statement regarding the research.

Neutron Wave

FRBs are rare and elusive anomalies; just about 50 have been discovered since the first was discovered in 2007. This one, known as FRB 20220610A, was found in June of last year in Western Australia with the ASKAP radio telescope array.

The origin of the burst was discovered by the astronomers when they conducted additional investigation utilizing telescopes in Europe and South America. But they were intrigued to learn that it was coming from a far greater distance than they had imagined. Instead of discovering the source galaxy they had anticipated, they discovered that the FRB was most likely coming from a group of merging galaxies that were actively forming new stars.

The neutron stars, which are thought to be among of the densest objects in the universe and are the collapsing cores of huge stars, are the source of the predominant notion that these bursts originate from, according to the researchers.

Cosmic Flashlight

The most intriguing part of all is that the burst is consistent with the Macquart connection, which states that the farther a FRB originates, the more diffuse gas between galaxies it would show its route.

"This ionized material is sensed by fast radio bursts," Shannon said in the release. "Even in space that is nearly perfectly empty they can 'see' all the electrons, and that allows us to measure how much stuff is between the galaxies."

It is important to take that cosmic substance into account. At the moment, without being able to observe it, "if we count up the amount of normal matter in the Universe — the atoms that we are all made of -we find that more than half of what should be there today is missing," said by Shannon.

If the missing mass is hidden in the space between galaxies, FRBs may be able to locate it. If not, some of the specifics of current cosmological theories might need to be reconsidered.