James Webb locates origin of most distant FRB 20240304B
Technology
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope just tracked down the origin of the most distant fast radio burst (FRB) ever found: FRB 20240304B.
First detected on March 4, 2024, by the MeerTRAP team using South Africa's MeerKAT radio telescope, this mysterious signal is helping scientists get closer to understanding what causes these cosmic flashes.
Webb finds 3 billion-year-old host galaxy
Webb's infrared tools pinpointed the host galaxy, dating back to when the universe was only three billion years old, far smaller than expected for these bursts.
Even cooler, following this FRB led researchers to a brand-new galaxy cluster and the nearby Virgo Cluster, showing how FRBs could help map out hidden parts of space.