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This Hubble Space Telescope view of the core of one of the nearest globular star clusters, called NGC 6397, resembles a treasure chest of glittering jewels. The cluster is located 8,200 light-years away in the constellation Ara. Here, the stars are jam-packed together. The stellar density is about a million times greater than in our Sun's stellar neighborhood. The stars are only a few light-weeks apart, while the nearest star to our Sun is over four light-years away. The stars in NGC 6397 are in constant motion, like a swarm of angry bees. The ancient stars are so crowded together that a few of them inevitably collide with each other once in a while. Near misses are even more common. Even so, collisions only occur every few million years or so. That's thousands of collisions in the 14-billion-year lifetime of the cluster. (Photo by NASA/WireImage)
For only the second time ever, a series of Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) have been discovered coming from a galaxy over 1 billion light years away. The extremely rare repetition was found by scientists in British Columbia. The bursts last less than half a second, but each one produces more energy than the sun does in one year.
Scientists remain stumped on what could be releasing the bursts. There are a vast array of occurrences that radio waves in space can indicate, such as star births, supermassive black holes, and dark matter.
<p>However, these conditions are less likely to emit a consistent repetition of radio waves.</p><p>Astrophysicist Ingrid Stairs elaborated on this for <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/radio-signals-fast-radio-bursts-frbs-galaxy-signal-repeated-space-scientists-a8719886.html"><em>The Independent</em></a>:</p><blockquote>“Until now, there was only one known repeating FRB. Knowing that there is another suggests that there could be more out there. And with more repeaters and more sources available for study, we may be able to understand these cosmic puzzles—where they’re from and what causes them.”</blockquote><p>Twitter users have a theory, and it's one you might have expected.</p><p></p><div id="8945d" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="MZMAJW1575238055"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1083191769465012224" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">@Independent https://t.co/RhaUbxaBx9</div> — Jay (@Jay)<a href="https://twitter.com/JKn0ws/statuses/1083191769465012224">1547088017.0</a></blockquote></div><p></p><p></p><div id="7f5a4" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="Y1KAWJ1575238055"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1083073737229037570" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">@Independent I for one welcome our new M82 Galaxy overlords</div> — marc blanc (@marc blanc)<a href="https://twitter.com/blancmarc20/statuses/1083073737229037570">1547059876.0</a></blockquote></div><p></p><p></p><div id="9d7e3" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="D4TIFM1575238055"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1083354943086608386" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">@Independent please be voltron please be voltron please be voltron please be voltron please be voltron please be vo… https://t.co/PWI6oOmfRS</div> — . . . (@. . .)<a href="https://twitter.com/skyfullofklance/statuses/1083354943086608386">1547126920.0</a></blockquote></div><p></p><p></p><p>If the signals are coming from intelligent extraterrestrial life, humans in the United States are scared of one thing in particular.</p><p>Americans are terrified of what would happen if aliens invaded while Trump is president.</p><p><div data-conversation-spotlight=""></div></p><p></p><div id="cfc1e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="PJY5U21575238055"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1083196938332393473" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">@Independent Please don’t let them know that Trump is our President</div> — Kat Hamilton (@Kat Hamilton)<a href="https://twitter.com/katwoman_81/statuses/1083196938332393473">1547089249.0</a></blockquote></div><p></p><p></p><div id="56f28" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7EH2J31575238055"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1083189826466299904" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">@Independent Whatever you do, don't tell #trump. If he hears about this, he'll demand another 5 billion for… https://t.co/Me0H9KIIE0</div> — Nathan Harrow #FBPE (@Nathan Harrow #FBPE)<a href="https://twitter.com/nharrow74/statuses/1083189826466299904">1547087553.0</a></blockquote></div><p></p><p></p><div id="9af74" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="KYI7YC1575238056"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1083197846835347456" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">@WilliamPora @Independent They’d meet Trump, and greet him like...
“Valkrog, we’d wondered what happened to you!!!” https://t.co/ZuqxDoWSUB</div> — Hannibal (@Hannibal)<a href="https://twitter.com/Uncaged2Day/statuses/1083197846835347456">1547089466.0</a></blockquote></div><p></p><p></p><div id="de47e" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7U2L8S1575238056"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1083197022977646592" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">@Independent @JohnFugelsang Trump better open the govt and get moving on that Space Force!</div> — TDoc72 (@TDoc72)<a href="https://twitter.com/Yecart72/statuses/1083197022977646592">1547089269.0</a></blockquote></div><p></p><p></p><div id="bfefc" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="ATGIAV1575238056"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1083197011908800512" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">@Independent Tell Trump another bigger Wall is needed.</div> — Henry Herge (@Henry Herge)<a href="https://twitter.com/CurtHerge/statuses/1083197011908800512">1547089267.0</a></blockquote></div><p></p><p>Some would be fine if they took a few of us with them.</p><p></p><div id="30323" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="KFUCIK1575238056"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1083375483591577601" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">@Independent @MyOpenMind101 How much would they charge to beam a few Americans up now? Just a ballpark figure.</div> — The Flying Piranha (@The Flying Piranha)<a href="https://twitter.com/Coqui6190/statuses/1083375483591577601">1547131818.0</a></blockquote></div><p></p><p></p><div id="dac1b" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="VUPDAU1575238056"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1083233689436385280" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">@Independent OMG
They're finally coming to take me home
WOOHOO</div> — K (@K)<a href="https://twitter.com/KPac94054821/statuses/1083233689436385280">1547098011.0</a></blockquote></div><p></p><p></p><div id="2fce7" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="WHN96F1575238056"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1083240787121336320" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">@Independent https://t.co/eso4Okqs11</div> — Adam Seeary (@Adam Seeary)<a href="https://twitter.com/adamseeary/statuses/1083240787121336320">1547099703.0</a></blockquote></div><p></p><p>According to scientists, extraterrestrial life is one of the less likely culprits, but the beauty of a repeating frequency is that scientists can use the patterns for clues as to what the source may be.</p>
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