Fast radio bursts are strange bursts of energy originating from outside our galaxy. Their short duration means they could be used to test the limits of general relativity.
What’s Cooking
Perytons are short bursts of radio waves detected by the Parkes radio telescope. They may be caused by astronomers hungry for a quick dinner.
Messages From Home
There’s something strange about fast radio bursts, but they are not a message from aliens.
Peryton Place
A few days ago I wrote about an interesting type radio signal known as a fast radio burst. These are short, intense pulses of radio energy that have all the hallmarks of being astronomical in origin. One possible source of FRBs could be a neutron star collapsing to a black hole. But there is still some discussion that such bursts could be terrestrial in origin because of another type of radio burst known as a peryton.