Out there: Astronomers discover 8-billion-year-old radio burst

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — A blast of mysterious radio waves that took 8 billion years to reach Earth was detected by astronomers.

This flash is an intense burst of radio waves called a fast radio burst (FRB).  Its origins are currently unknown.

It’s also one of the most distant and energetic blasts ever recorded, and the whole thing lasted less than a millisecond.

But the burst released the equivalent of our sun’s energetic emissions over the course of 30 years.

Scientists presume it can be used to “weigh” Earth.