Radio Wave Bursts Discovered Originating from Outside the Galaxy

Furthest came from 11 billion light years away

Billions of light years away, radio waves are created, travelling across space until they eventually make it to Earth. Now, scientists have detected these mysterious bursts of radio waves, ruling out terrestrial sources and instead revealing that they probably originated at cosmological distances when the universe was only half its current age.

About six years ago, a single burst of radio emission of unknown origin was detected outside our galaxy. At the time, though, researchers weren't certain what it was or if it was even real; some speculated that it was a fluke or that the readings were incorrect. That's when scientists set out to find more of these radio waves, spending the last four years combing the universe in search of their existence.