Another Clue Into the True Nature of Fast Radio Bursts

Artist's concept of a magnetar. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are strange events. They can last only milliseconds, but during that time can outshine a galaxy. Some FRBs are repeaters, meaning that they can occur more than once from the same location, while others seem to occur just once. We still aren’t entirely sure what causes them, or even if the two types have the same cause. But thanks to a collaboration of observations from ground-based radio telescopes and space-based X-ray observatories, we are starting to figure FRBs out.

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Neutron Star Suffers a “Glitch”, Gives Astronomers a Glimpse Into How They Work

An image of the Vela pulsar in combined optical and xray. Image Credit: NASA/Chandra

What, exactly, is the inside of a neutron star like?

A neutron star is what remains after a massive star goes supernova. It’s a tightly-packed, ultra-dense body made of—you guessed it—neutrons. Actually, that’s not absolutely true.

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