Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are powerful energy bursts from deep space. These events release as much energy in a millisecond as the Sun does in three days. One theory suggests FRBs are caused by neutron stars—dense remains of dead stars—colliding with black holes or other neutron stars. Now, a new study led by University of Toronto scientist Dang Pham proposes a different idea: FRBs might occur when asteroids collide with neutron stars. Pham’s team estimated the frequency of interstellar asteroid collisions with neutron stars and found it matches the observed rate of FRBs. For example, known interstellar objects like ‘Oumuamua (2017) and Comet Borisov (2019) hint there could be trillions of similar objects in the Milky Way. With around 1 billion neutron stars in our galaxy, the team calculated that one collision per neutron star every 10 million years could explain the observed frequency of FRBs. When an asteroid crashes into a neutron star’s magnetic field, it could vaporize and accelerate to nearly the speed of light. This creates a plasma beam that may produce an FRB. “The energy released depends on the asteroid’s size and the neutron star’s magnetic field,” says Matthew Hopkins, an astrophysicist and study co-author. For an asteroid about half a mile wide, the energy could equal “one hundred million times all the energy used by humanity in a year.” However, this theory doesn’t explain repeating FRBs, which occur at regular intervals. More research is needed, including observing more FRBs, refining energy calculations, and better understanding interstellar objects. While the mystery remains unsolved, Pham’s hypothesis adds a fascinating piece to the puzzle, suggesting that asteroid collisions could be a key part of the story. The post New Scientific Theory Sheds Light on Mysterious Space Signals appeared first on Anomalien.com.