For years, fast radio bursts (FRBs) have fascinated astronomers. These brief but intense cosmic explosions, first detected in 2007, release more energy in a millisecond than the sun does in an entire year. While typically traced to distant, active galaxies, a recent discovery has reshaped our understanding of their origins.
In February 2024, scientists with the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) discovered FRB 20240209A. Over the following months, the burst repeated 21 times, allowing researchers to pinpoint its origin: a galaxy that ceased forming stars over 11.3 billion years ago. Located 2 billion light-years away, this ancient galaxy, once thought too inert for such events, has left experts scratching their heads.
FRBs have long been linked to magnetars—neutron stars with powerful magnetic fields. Yet this burst appears to come from a magnetar thriving in an unexpected environment: a globular cluster of ancient stars, 130,000 light-years from its host galaxy’s core.
This is only the second FRB detected in such a setting, marking a significant step toward unraveling the mystery. According to astrophysicist Tarraneh Eftekhari, the discovery suggests FRBs might emerge from evolved, quiet galaxies rather than just young, active ones—challenging everything we thought we knew.
