Giant telescope captures signals from the universe

The world's largest radio telescope FAST detected more than 100 radio signals from a source three billion light-years from Earth.

Signals from the 500-meter spherical spherical telescope (FAST), or "Heavenly Eye," are being cross-examined and analyzed by researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. FAST is focusing on the source of radio waves FRB121102 that the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico first discovered in 2015. The team of astronomers at FAST has identified more than 100 waves from FRB121102 since the end of August, the number of flashes The largest radio wave to date.

FAST radio telescope in the mountains of Pingtang County, Guizhou Province.(Photo: Science Alert).

Radio-frequency reception (FRB) is an extremely small radio pulse that lasts less than a few milliseconds and is the brightest radio phenomenon known to researchers. They argue that FRB comes from an unknown high energy process in the universe. Researchers first learned about the first FRB in 2007, based on data collected by Parkes radio disc in New South Wales, Australia, in 2001. Astronomers hope that studying repeated lightning bolts could help to investigate. exactly where the radio waves are triggered and how they are created.

Located in the natural sunken area of ​​southwestern Guizhou province. The process of building telescopes was completed in September 2016. The telescope will start daily activities from this month. This is the largest and most sensitive radio observatory in the world.

FAST will help astronomers from many countries study exoplanets, gravitational waves, and ultra-high energy cosmic rays. The combination of the highly sensitive secondary system with the giant glass allows FAST to detect radio waves effectively in real time. The FAST team will continue to monitor the lightning wave from the FRB121102 source to gather more information.