Astronomers have traced two mysterious fast radio bursts from space to wildly different places, which suggests the phenomenon may originate in diverse ways.

Just when you think you understand an astrophysical phenomenon, the universe turns around and surprises us,’ says scientist involved

Scientists led by Northwestern University and McGill University have traced a fast radio burst (FRB) to the edges of an ancient elliptical galaxy. Scientists had previously thought that these quick radio blasts,

Astronomers have observed over a thousand of them to date; some come from sources that repeatedly emit FRBs, while others seem to burst once and go silent. You can produce this sort of sudden surge of energy by destroying something.

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are intense flashes of radio light that last for only a fraction of a second. They are likely caused by the intense magnetic fields of a magnetar, which is a highly magnetic neutron star.