--- title: "That Mysterious Space Signal Just Woke Up Again, Just as Predicted" description: "A team of astronomers were able to track down a mysterious fast radio burst thanks to years of previous research allowing them to predict when it woke up." date: "2020-08-25" modified: "2020-08-25" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/that-mysterious-space-signal-just-woke-up-again-just-as-predicted" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "fast radio bursts" - "frb 121102" - "radio astronomy" - "the digest" --- # That Mysterious Space Signal Just Woke Up Again, Just as Predicted ![A team of astronomers were able to track down a mysterious fast radio burst thanks to years of previous research allowing them to predict when it woke up.]() *\Image: Sven Wusch\* ## Fast Radio Bursts Over the [last five years](), researchers have been closely following a type of strange radio signal emanating from deep space. Astronomers refer to these puzzling signals as "[fast radio bursts]()," or FRBs. They're pulses of radio waves that only last fractions of a second — and to this day, their origins remain a mystery. ## FRB 121102 Since the discovery of FRBs, researchers have found that one particular signal, dubbed FRB 121102, was repeating like clockwork, appearing for 90 days before going dormant for the following 67 days. Astronomers found this roughly 157 day cycle to be [repeating over and over again](). And that gave them the ability to predict when it would be coming back. ## I'll Be Back And just as predicted, a team of astronomers led by Marilyn Cruces of the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy detected the FRB 121102 signal again, as detailed in [a preprint]() uploaded to the preprint archive *arXiv* earlier this month. "We predict the source to be active from 2020-07-09 to 2020-10-14 and, posteriorly, from 2020-12-17 to 2021-03-24," reads the preprint. The mysterious signal has captured the attention of multiple teams of scientists, [as *Science Alert* reports](). A team in China also monitored it using the 500 meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope at the National Astronomy Observatory of China. **READ MORE:** [A mysterious radio burst from space is back, right on schedule]() \[*CNET*\] **More on FRBs:** *[A Dead Star Gave Off Something Scientists Have Never Seen Before]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()