Mysterious space radio signals have finally been tracked to their source

Scientists have traced the brightest known fast radio burst to its origin in space , a milestone achievement they hope will provide clues about what's driving these mysterious cosmic flashes.

The powerful signal, FRB 20250316A, was first spotted in March by the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment, or CHIME, a radio telescope in British Columbia. The burst lasted less than one-thousandth of a second but carried more energy than the sun produces in four days.

What set this event apart was what happened next. Using a new network of CHIME "Outrigger" stations — three miniature versions of the radio antenna in California, West Virginia, and British Columbia — researchers were able to home in on the burst’s location. That led them to a specific spot in the spiral galaxy