Reuters reports that astronomers discovered a strong radio signal coming from 3 billion light years away.
They were searching for pulsars -- a type of rotating compacted neutron star that sends out rhythmic pulses of radiation -- when they spotted the giant radio signal.
It was extremely brief but very strong, and appears to have come from about 3 billion light-years away -- a light-year being the distance light travels in a year, or about 6 trillion miles.
"This burst appears to have originated from the distant universe and may have been produced by an exotic event such as the collision of two neutron stars or the death throes of an evaporating black hole," said Duncan Lorimer of West Virginia University and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory.
The scientists believe the cosmic radio blast is unlikely to be aliens because it would be far too powerful.
It is, however, unlikely to be the extraterrestrial equivalent of "I Love Lucy" or other radio or television broadcast.
"It's much too bright. There is no way any civilization that we could possibly think of could create a thing so incredibly powerful," she said.
The burst only lasted for 5 milliseconds making astronomers believe it is a powerful celestial event like a supernova or colliding black holes. They are not yet sure what caused the radio burst.
