MIT astronomers pinpointed the origins of a fast radio burst

A team of astronomers from MIT has traced the origin of fast radio burst (FRB) 20221022A using a novel technique. By analyzing its “scintillation”—the twinkling effect seen in stars—they determined that the burst came from much closer to its source than previously thought. The team estimates that the burst originated within 10,000 kilometers of a rotating neutron star, likely within its magnetosphere, a highly magnetic area surrounding the star. This marks a significant shift from the earlier theory that FRBs come from distant locations.