Boffins are scratching their heads over another mysterious signal which is believed to have originated from the edge of the universe billions of years ago when a star exploded at the dawn of time
Boffins have been left baffled after they discovered a mysterious 10-second signal from the edge of the universe.
Scientists are desperately trying to understand the origins of the signal after two Earth satellites confirmed the message emerged 13 billion light-years from our planet.
The leading theory currently suggests it came from an exploding supernova when the universe was merely 730 million years old. The scale of the universe is so massive that light from a star exploding can take billions of years to reach us. Meaning, the light we are looking at originated from something that happened billions of years ago.
In the case of this latest mysterious signal believed to be a high-energy gamma-ray burst, dubbed GRB 250314A, the origins have been linked to the earliest supernova ever recorded from the dawn of time.
Gamma rays are invisible ultra-powerful forms of light energy. They contain massive amounts of radiation and are produced by massive stellar explosions.
Boffins are not sure why this ancient supernova looks almost identical to other more recent exploding stars.
Andrew Levan, lead author of a new study on the signal from Radboud University in the Netherlands, said: “There are only a handful of gamma-ray bursts in the last 50 years that have been detected in the first billion years of the universe. This particular event is very rare and very exciting.”
It comes as US intelligence officials declined to confirm or deny whether they possess records on a newly-discovered interstellar object, a response that has intensified public speculation that it may have something to do with aliens despite scientists saying the object appears to be a natural comet.
The object, known as 3I/ATLAS, is only the third confirmed body ever observed entering the solar system from beyond interstellar space. Astronomers say it is moving too fast to be captured by the Sun’s gravity and will eventually exit the solar system, never to return.
Researchers observing the object through ground-based telescopes report that 3I/ATLAS displays a visible coma and tail – hallmarks of a comet formed from ice and dust. Data released by civilian space agencies, including NASA, show no indication the object is artificial.
Attention shifted away from astronomy, however, after the Central Intelligence Agency issued a so-called Glomar response to a Freedom of Information Act request seeking records related to the object. The agency said it could neither confirm nor deny the existence of responsive documents.
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