For around a decade, mysterious flashes from deep space have puzzled radio astronomers. The explosions of radio waves last for just a few thousandths of a second, and they appear to shine from galaxies billions of light years away—too far to get a good look at what’s making them. Researchers have detected about 120 such “Fast Radio Bursts” to date, and have come up with nearly half as many explanations. Theorists have floated ideas including exotic stars collapsing, neutron stars crashing into black holes, and even alien civilizations pushing starships around on energy beams.

Mysterious superpowerful blasts of radio waves once seen only outside the galaxy have for the first time been detected within the Milky Way, new studies find.

For the first time ever, astronomers have detected a burst of radio waves from within our own galaxy — and traced the powerful signal to a young neutron star known as a magnetar, according to a report.

Three new studies trace the burst to a bizarre "magnetic star"—and help solve a major astronomical puzzle.

For the first time, we have tracked a strange blast of radio waves – called a fast radio burst – back to its source, solving a major cosmic mystery. The burst came from a magnetar, which is a neutron star with a strong magnetic field.

For the first time, astrophysicists have pieced together observational evidence of a fast radio burst that likely traveled to Earth from a particular type of neutron star in our Milky Way galaxy, according to three studies published Wednesday in the journal Nature.

Astronomers have identified the first reliable pattern of a fast radio burst (FRB) source in deep space, but still don't know what causes the phenomenon.

Astronomers strive to observe the universe via ever more advanced techniques. Whenever researchers invent a new method, unprecedented information is collected and people’s understanding of the cosmos deepens.