Astronomers have pinpointed the brightest fast radio burst ever recorded—FRB 20250316A, nicknamed RBFLOAT—to a specific spiral arm in the galaxy NGC 4141, about 130 million light-years away in Ursa Major. The burst was so intense it briefly outshone every other radio source in its galaxy, letting researchers map its birthplace with unprecedented precision. CHIME/FRB with its new Outrigger antennas localized FRB 20250316A to a tight region in NGC 4141. Inset: host galaxy imaging. Credit: Daniëlle Futselaar / MMT Observatory / Keck Observatory (source). Why this burst is a big deal Record brightness & proximity: RBFLOAT is the brightest FRB on record and among the closest ever found, giving scientists a rare, clear look at the environment around an FRB. Pinpoint location: The CHIME radio array (Canada) plus its new Outrigger antennas in California and West Virginia triangulated the signal to within roughly 13 parsecs (≈42 light-years)—remarkable for a non-repeating FRB. Stellar neighborhood: Follow-up imaging shows the burst sits in a star-forming region; a magnetar (an ultra-magnetized neutron star) is a leading suspect, but other scenarios are still on the table. How they found it On March 16, 2025, CHIME flagged an ultrabright, millisecond-long radio flash. The Outriggers’ long baselines locked down the direction quickly, and optical/IR telescopes then tied the position to NGC 4141. The localization is one of the most precise ever for a single-shot (non-repeating) FRB, opening the door to detailed studies of the local gas, dust, and star populations that could power such blasts. What might power RBFLOAT? Two leading ideas emerged: (1) a young, highly magnetized neutron star (magnetar) producing a giant flare; or (2) a compact object in a binary that periodically injects energy and magnetic complexity into the system. New JWST infrared imaging resolved individual stars near the site, including candidates for a massive companion or a nearby cluster—clues that will help narrow the models with future data. How bright was it? Researchers estimate the single flash packed energy comparable to days of the Sun’s output into just a few milliseconds—one reason it stood out so clearly at “only” 130 million light-years away. That extraordinary brightness also made it easier to separate astrophysical signal from terrestrial interference and to track the burst’s dispersion through intergalactic space. Why it matters Tech milestone: This is an early proof that the CHIME Outrigger network can routinely localize even one-off FRBs to precise spots in their host galaxies. From mystery to physics: With a precise address and a nearby host, astronomers can now test how FRBs interact with their surroundings, constrain magnetic fields, and hunt for any persistent afterglow. Next up: Teams expect dozens to hundreds more precise localizations per year as the system scales, turning FRBs into everyday tools for probing the cosmos. Watch: quick explainers Key sources MIT News: all-time brightest FRB detected (RBFLOAT) Northwestern: “root beer FLOAT” localized with extraordinary precision Phys.org: ApJL paper summary (FRB 20250316A localized to 13 pc) Live Science: JWST resolves stars around the FRB site WIRED: origin of an extraordinarily powerful FRB (RBFLOAT) Keck Observatory: image & environment follow-up EurekAlert: ApJL paper, DOI & localization details Tags: Fast Radio Bursts, FRB 20250316A, RBFLOAT, CHIME, Outriggers, NGC 4141, Magnetar, JWSTThe post Brightest FRB Traced to Nearby Galaxy (RBFLOAT) appeared first on Anomalien.com.