Space & Astronomy

Astronomers detect a mysterious signal from the beginning of time

By T.K. Randall
January 16, 2026

Image: Artist's Impression of the Dust Surrounding a Supernova Explosion
Credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser / CC BY 4.0 (adapted) 13 billion years ago, a huge star ended its life in a catastrophic explosion of extreme proportions, sending a high-energy gamma-ray burst rippling through the cosmos.

Now, after beginning its journey through the universe just 730 million years after the Big Bang, this burst of energy has finally been picked up here on Earth by astronomers.

Named GRB 250314A - it is thought to have originated from one of the earliest known supernova explosions ever detected - an echo of an event that occurred near the dawn of time.It was picked up back in March by the Space Variable Objects Monitor (SVOM) satellite.

Some mystery still remains - such as why this particular supernova seems so similar to much more recent examples despite the expectation that early stars ought to be bigger and hotter than their later counterparts.

"There are only a handful of gamma-ray bursts in the last 50 years that have been detected in the first billion years of the universe," said study lead author Andrew Levan of Radboud University.

"This particular event is very rare and very exciting."

Source: Mail Online

Tags: Universe