Scientists Stumped by Blast From Outer Space

A bizarre burst from outer space has scientists talking black holes and colliding stars, Physorg reports — and may even help us "determine the amount of material in intergalactic space," one researcher says. The radio waves, which were measured in milliseconds, might be a blast from 2 superdense neutron stars or the "last gasp" of a dying black hole. 

Researchers grabbed the data while hunting pulsars in the Magellanic Clouds, a couple of galaxies orbiting the Milky Way. They've never seen a blast like it, but think their instruments are to blame — hundreds of similar salvos may fly through space every day, say Australian astronomers. Now they're combing the sky for more of them, hoping to solve the mystery.