Enigmatic Radio Burst Illuminates a Galaxy’s Tranquil ​Halo
ESO’s Very Large Telescope has clarified that a fast radio burst passed through a galactic halo
A fast radio burst is a blast of radio waves that lasts less than a millisecond.
It was first detected by the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP).
Quick follow-up observations with the VLT revealed the precise path of the radio waves.
They have passed through a galactic halo, the vast low-density gas that surrounds a galaxy.
Astronomers expected that the galactic halo would distort the radio waves...
…but the signal was virtually unaltered showing that this halo is surprisingly tranquil.