Hubble Telescope Traces Most Powerful Fast Radio Burst to Cluster of Interacting Galaxies

The unexpected discovery challenges existing models of FRB origins and suggests a connection to dense galactic environments.

Astronomers have traced the most powerful and distant fast radio burst (FRB) to a rare cluster of interacting galaxies, challenging existing models of FRB origins.
The FRB, dubbed FRB 20220610A, was detected in the summer of 2022 and is four times more energetic than closer FRBs.
Using images from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, researchers traced the FRB back to a group of at least seven galaxies that appear to be interacting with one another, possibly on the path to a potential merger.
The interaction between the galaxies could be triggering bouts of extreme star formation, indicating that the source of FRB 20220610A is tied to a population of newborn stars.
Understanding the source and cause of FRBs could be key to unlocking deeper secrets of the cosmos, as these bursts of radiation traverse billions of light-years to reach us, altering the radio waves.