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Space

Exploding interstellar space rocks could explain mystery radio flashes

Enigmatic phenomena called fast radio bursts might be caused by interstellar objects colliding with highly magnetised neutron stars

By Jonathan O’Callaghan

25 November 2024

Illustration of a neutron star emitting a flash of radio waves

Science Photo Library / Alamy Stock Photo

Mysterious flashes of radio waves from space might be caused by interstellar asteroids and comets crashing into neutron stars.

Astronomers detected the first fast radio burst (FRB) in 2007, and several thousand have since been found. They are thought to come from neutron stars, the ultra-dense cores left behind after some stars explode as supernovae, but exactly what causes them is unclear.

The favoured explanation for FRBs is that they…

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