Record-breaking fast radio burst traced to galaxy 10 billion light-years away
Astronomers used South Africa's MeerKAT telescope to detect FRB 20240304B and NASA's James Webb Space Telescope to identify its host galaxy. The burst traveled for more than 10 billion years, originating when the universe was about 3 billion years old, and more than doubles the previous distance record. The finding could help researchers study galaxy evolution and the invisible matter between galaxies.
Fast radio bursts are brief, millisecond-long releases of immense energy whose sources are still not fully understood. The burst FRB 20240304B was detected by the MeerTRAP project using South Africa's MeerKAT radio telescope, then linked to its home galaxy through James Webb Space Telescope observations. It occurred when the cosmos was roughly 3 billion years old.
The host galaxy is small, low in metals, and forming stars rapidly — traits that fit young magnetars, highly magnetized neutron stars born in supernova explosions, better than models involving merging older neutron stars. The result more than doubles the previous distance record.
This result may broaden how scientists use distant radio flashes to trace matter between galaxies, potentially refining models of cosmic evolution. Astronomers and observatories such as MeerKAT and Webb could see expanded roles, while the public may gain a more tangible sense of the universe's deep history. Because the finding rests on a single burst, its broader significance could take years of follow-up observations to confirm.