Astronomers Caught An Unexplained Extragalactic Signal
NASA astronomers have discovered an unexpected signal coming from beyond our galaxy. Its source remains unknown.
The signal was detected in data from the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope collected over 13 years. Scientists described it as “an unexpected and as yet unexplained feature outside our galaxy.”
The Fermi telescope observes in the range of gamma waves that occur during powerful energy releases, such as supernova explosions. Scientists were studying the telescope’s data to gain more insight into the so-called cosmic microwave background radiation, also known as cosmic microwave background radiation. Typically, CMB radiation has a dipole structure, one side of which is hotter than the other. Astronomers believe this is due to the movement of the solar system.
Instead of the expected structure of the cosmic microwave background radiation, the researchers found a signal containing some of the most energetic cosmic particles they have ever detected. “This is a completely random discovery,” says Alexander Kashlinsky, a cosmologist at the University of Maryland and NASA Space Flight Center. “We found a much stronger signal in a different part of the sky than the one we were looking for.”
Scientists believe the discovery may be related to cosmic gamma rays observed at the Pierre Auger Observatory in Argentina in 2017. These two phenomena may originate from the same unidentified source, given their similar structure. NASA’s unexpected discovery could help astronomers confirm or dispute how the dipole structure is created.
