Artist’s impression showing a fast radio burst travelling from a distant host galaxy to reach Earth
ESO/M. Kornmesser
One of the most puzzling phenomena in space may finally have an explanation. It might be caused by the interactions between a “dead” neutron star and a planet in tight orbit around it.
The strange phenomenon in question is a repeating fast radio burst (FRB). These are series of powerful radio waves blasting at us from distant galaxies. FRB 121102, spotted in 2012, was the first one ever found to repeatedly send out radio…