Record-breaking fast radio burst found
Astronomers detect mysterious burst of energy from a galaxy far, far away
Saturday, 10 October 2026
Photo by Tim van der Kuip on Unsplash
Warm-up
- What comes to mind when you hear "radio waves"?
- Have you ever used a telescope or visited a planetarium?
- How old do you think the universe is, and why?
Vocabulary
- astronomer
- a scientist who studies space, stars and galaxies
- detect
- to find or notice something using special equipment
- burst
- a short and very strong release of energy or activity
- galaxy
- a very large group of stars, gas and dust in space
- telescope
- a device used to make distant objects in space look closer
- distant
- very far away in space or time
- magnetar
- a kind of neutron star with an extremely strong magnetic field
- matter
- anything that has mass, including unseen material in space
Reading
Listen to this story
British EnglishAstronomers have detected the most distant fast radio burst (FRB) seen so far. The flash, called FRB 20240304B, travelled for more than 10bn years before it reached Earth. It began when the universe was about 3bn years old, so it crossed approximately 80% of cosmic history.
Scientists found the burst with the MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa and then located its host galaxy using Nasa’s James Webb Space Telescope. The host is a young, very small galaxy forming stars quickly, with few metals. The distance is more than double the previous record.
Experts say FRBs may come from magnetars, but the true cause is still unknown. Since 2007, more than 10,000 FRBs have been seen. Some repeat, while others appear once and never return. Because FRBs are changed by the matter and particles they pass through, studying very distant bursts might help map unseen material in the universe and show that FRBs were common early on.
Comprehension
- How long did the FRB travel before reaching Earth?
- Which instruments were used to find the burst and its host galaxy?
- What is special about the host galaxy where the burst began?
- What do some scientists think may cause FRBs?
- How could studying distant FRBs help scientists?
Grammar focus
May / might (probability)
Use may/might + base verb to express possibility; might often sounds less certain. Negative: may/might not + verb. May/might + have + past participle shows a past possibility.
- Experts say FRBs may come from magnetars.
- Studying very distant bursts might help map unseen material.
Grammar exercise
Complete each gap with may or might + the verb.
- Astronomers say the signal (be) ___ from a young galaxy.
- This faint burst (not repeat) ___ again.
- Dust along the path (change) ___ its radio waves.
- Mapping many bursts (reveal) ___ early activity.
- Analysts (misread) ___ one signal earlier.
Discussion
- Why is finding a very distant object exciting for science?
- Do you think FRBs are more likely to repeat or be one-off? Why?
- Which tool seems more important here: radio telescope or space telescope?
- Should space agencies invest more in studying FRBs? Why or why not?
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