Utah, Are You Listening?

As long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by listening to radio late into the night time. I would spend most weekend nights during the school year, and most nights in the summer listening for far away radio stations on AM radio. It's always been a passion of mine. And as I have grown, that has extended to broadcasts that don't originate on Earth.

No, I don't have a radio telescope in my backyard, but the work of SETI, the Search for Extra Terrestrial Life has always intrigued me. The movie Contact is a favorite in our household and we watch it often. And, yes, we once (twice actually) made the pilgrimage to the Very Large Array, the giant set of linked radio telescopes down in the desert of New Mexico.

What is out in the vastness of space continues to be an intrigue to humankind. And, according to this article from The Independent, even to those who spend their days listening to the Universe, there are still some surprises out there.

The article quotes Wen-fai Fong from Northwestern University, and he said

This new FRB shows us that just when you think you understand an astrophysical phenomenon, the universe turns around and surprises us.

If you're wondering what he means by FRB, they are Fast Radio Bursts. The are extremely brief yet powerful pulses of radio waves originating from deep space. They last only milliseconds but release as much energy as the Sun does in days or even weeks. First discovered in 2007, FRBs have since captivated astronomers due to their mysterious origins.

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Some FRBs are one-time events, while others repeat periodically, allowing for more detailed study.

What caught the attention of scientists in this case is that in most cases, FRB's tend to come from youger galaxies, but in this case the FRB came from an old, dead galaxy only 2 billion light years away (virtually in our backyard!).

I know, this isn't everyone's cup of tea, but it is kind of bewitching to me.

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While FRBs remain an enigma, ongoing research with radio telescopes continues to provide clues about their origins and significance.

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Hopefully, it's not some distant planet playing their version of Taylor Swift on the radio.

Amateur Radio Winter Field Day

So what do you do when you're a bunch of crazy amateur radio operators on a cold day in the middle of winter? Well you go outside and set up radio facilities and sit outside or in un-heated communication trailers and talk on the radio, of course! That's what members of the Rainbow Canyon Amateur Radio Club did during the annual Winter Field Day the last weekend on January. It is, ostensibly, an exercise on how we can set up and be able to provide emergency communication in less than ideal conditions. But it is also a fun, albeit chilly activity to engage with amateur radio operators around the world. One of our operators during this field day may contact with someone in France. We had a lot of fun, shared some food and stories and just enjoyed learning from each other. And we chilled...literally. But we're not always crazy, we do this in summer, too.

Gallery Credit: Dr. T

Filed Under: Astronomy, Fast Radio Bursts, Radio Telescopes, Radio Waves, SETI, utah, Very Large Array

Categories: Articles