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Astronomers detect signal from the dawn of the universe, using simple antenna in WA outback
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An artist's impression of the first stars, which formed from pristine gas in the early universe
A tiny signal, dating back to the birth of the first stars in our universe, has been detected by
astronomers for the first time.
Key points
- Astronomers detected a miniscule radio signal that indirectly indicates the presence of the earliest stars
- The discovery was made using a small antenna in a pristine, radio quiet area in Western Australia
- While the frequency of the signal was predicted, scientists were surprised by the strength of the signal
- The discovery has thrown up new mysteries for physicists around the properties of dark matter
They have picked up a radio signature produced just 180 million years after the Big Bang using a simple antenna
in the West Australian outback.
The ground breaking discovery, reported today in the journal Nature, sheds light on a period of time known as
the "cosmic dawn", when radiation from the first stars started to alter the primordial gas soup surrounding them.
It could also completely revolutionise our understanding about dark matter, the invisible structure that makes up
the bulk of our universe today.
"The signal confirms our expectations for when stars show up in the universe," said the study's lead author
Judd Bowman of Arizona State University.
"But it's also telling us that there's something mysterious happening at this time beyond our previous
expectations", he said.
It is thought the first stars were massive, blue stars that lived fast and died young.
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