Unraveling the Mystery of Fast Radio Bursts in Nearby Galaxies

Astronomers using the upgraded Westerbork telescope have discovered five new Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs), three of which have pierced the halo of the Triangulum Galaxy, allowing them to estimate the maximum number of invisible atoms in the galaxy for the first time. FRBs are among the brightest explosions in the universe and contain immense amounts of energy, making them highly interesting to study. The ARTS supercomputer enables Westerbork to pinpoint the exact location of an FRB very accurately, which is important for tracking down invisible electrons and their accompanying atoms, as most of the matter in the universe is dark and we still know little about it.