{"id":2641,"date":"2026-10-10T00:45:14","date_gmt":"2026-10-09T15:45:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/onepress.co.kr\/index.php\/briefing\/2026-10-10-frb-20240304b-distant-galaxy-en\/"},"modified":"2026-10-10T00:45:14","modified_gmt":"2026-10-09T15:45:14","slug":"2026-10-10-frb-20240304b-distant-galaxy-en","status":"publish","type":"briefing","link":"https:\/\/onepress.co.kr\/index.php\/briefing\/2026-10-10-frb-20240304b-distant-galaxy-en\/","title":{"rendered":"Webb identifies the host of a radio burst that travelled for over 10 billion years"},"content":{"rendered":"

2026-10-10 00:45 KST<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Webb space telescope identified the host galaxy of a brief radio signal that travelled across space for more than 10 billion years.<\/p>\n

This is the most distant fast radio burst known so far, not the most distant object of every kind, and its physical cause has not been established.<\/p>\n

One telescope detected the burst, another studied its galaxy<\/h2>\n

Fast radio bursts are intense radio signals lasting only milliseconds. The MeerTRAP team detected FRB 20240304B with South Africa\u2019s MeerKAT telescope on 4 March 2024. Radio data suggested great distance, but ground-based optical observations could not reveal the galaxy at that position. Webb located the galaxy with near-infrared imaging and examined its spectrum to determine the distance. Webb did not photograph the instant of a radio explosion.<\/p>\n

Redshift 2.148 places the signal in a young universe<\/h2>\n

NASA reports a redshift of 2.148. This describes how cosmic expansion stretches light and places the observed galaxy at about 3 billion years after the big bang. A journey lasting over 10 billion years provides a comparison with the history that unfolded while the signal travelled. Travel time is not the same as the galaxy\u2019s present distance. That calculation must separately account for cosmic expansion.<\/p>\n

\"Webb
This AI-generated illustration explains the topic; it is not a photograph or an exact reconstruction of real people, sites, experiments, specimens or official documents.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A small star-forming galaxy helps narrow possible causes<\/h2>\n

The host is a small galaxy actively forming stars. The researchers interpret this young environment as a better fit for a young, strongly magnetic neutron star, a magnetar, than for a merger of two neutron stars requiring a long delay. The environment and timing are clues, rather than a direct observation of the cause. An outside expert interviewed by ABC also did not rule out multiple ways to produce fast radio bursts.<\/p>\n

Beyond the record, the signal can trace matter along its path<\/h2>\n

Matter encountered during the journey changes the arrival timing of different radio frequencies. Distant bursts can therefore probe matter scattered between galaxies, making that measurement an important follow-up beyond the distance record. NASA introduced the findings on 8 October, and ABC interviewed researchers and an outside expert on the 9th. This article uses the overlapping observation and interpretation in those accounts; direct full-text access to the linked Science paper was restricted. Repeated searches for farther bursts and comparisons of their host galaxies are the next checks.<\/p>\n

Primary source and independent checks<\/h2>\n

Primary source and official explanation: NASA Webb Mission Team<\/a><\/p>\n

Paper reference; full-text access restricted: Science<\/a><\/p>\n

Independent reporting check: ABC Science<\/a><\/p>\n

Read in other languages<\/h2>\n

\ud55c\uad6d\uc5b4<\/a> \u00b7 English<\/a> \u00b7 Espa\u00f1ol<\/a> \u00b7 \u65e5\u672c\u8a9e<\/a> \u00b7 Ti\u1ebfng Vi\u1ec7t<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

MeerKAT detected the radio signal and Webb studied its galaxy. The signal\u2019s physical origin remains unconfirmed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":[],"class_list":["post-2641","briefing","type-briefing","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/onepress.co.kr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/briefing\/2641","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/onepress.co.kr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/briefing"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/onepress.co.kr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/briefing"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/onepress.co.kr\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2641"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}