Imagine: Far off in space in a galaxy known only by a series of numbers, a star forms when hydrogen and dust coalesce into a core. That mass heats up and, once hot enough, hydrogen atoms fuse to form helium, releasing boundless energy. In turn, over time, the fusion continues, creating carbon and oxygen and, eventually, iron. That’s when things start to take a turn. With every increase in iron, less energy is emitted from the star’s core. That allows external pressure to overwhelm the star and it begins to collapse upon its own gravity. At that point and surprisingly quickly, it is crushed into an incredibly dense object, a neutron star, while simultaneously and violently throwing off its outer layers in an explosion scientists call a supernova. Sometimes, the remains of the star condense even further, into a highly magnetized sphere, a magnetar no more than a dozen miles across.
Now, imagine more: The supernova dims, the event seems over. But then, the magnetar emits a stunningly brief yet immensely powerful stream of energy that extends endlessly into the darkness. That energy, called a fast radio burst (FRB), travels for the next 130 million years at a speed of 186,000 miles per second until it is detected by the primary CHIME (Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment) telescope. Scientists quickly use three similar telescopes—“outriggers” located in British Columbia, West Virginia and California—to triangulate the source. Life, death and the beyond have come and gone.
It is the stuff of science fiction, except that it isn’t. In fact, this specific FRB was discovered in March of 2025. Though it all falls within the realm of the incomprehensible, it allows our imagination to roam freely, eventually coming to a place where we understand that the impossible is, indeed, very possible. And, we can’t, or at least never should, get enough of it.
For you see, the truth, and it really is rather obvious, is that the fantastical, the magical and the unbelievable can be wonderful antidotes to the reality that often has a distinctive knack for wearing us down. So, we watch endless miniseries and televised mysteries. We read stories so preposterous that we find ourselves laughing when we should be shocked. We dream of a life without pitfalls, without any of the hazards that block our way.
I believe that fast radio bursts have a special meaning for each of us, for they lead us to see that astronomy, for example, as well established in science as it is, winds up being yet another venture that can steer us away from the news of the day. It is another escape, though one that paradoxically expands our understanding of reality. And the reality is that massive stars clearly exist. We have seen them go supernova. We have pinpointed magnetars. And now, we have detected more than one thousand FRBs.
Each FRB, it is believed, can emit as much energy as the Sun. And yet, none have had any physical effect on us. They are just too far away. What damage have they caused their neighbors? No one knows, but it is surely a time to be thankful for the vast distances in space.
We can study FRBs and magnetars and we can unravel, piece by piece, the wonders of the heavens. But, there is yet another purpose they serve that is even more valuable. With every FRB discovery, we can remind ourselves that our grasp can actually exceed our reach. We have designed and built magnificent instruments capable of changing our understanding of the cosmos and of life itself.
And, it all begs the question: If we can do this, can’t we also do so much more to remove those pitfalls and hazards that fill our lives? Can’t we do better at mitigating and reversing climate change? Can’t we do better at finding solutions for global poverty and war? If we can bridge what was previously believed to be the fantastical into proven science, if we can create artificial intelligence that can diagnose illness, then we should be able to not just address, but actually fix so much of what drives us apart.
It certainly is not about ability and it’s not about money. There really is no shortage of either. No, It’s about will. It’s about never giving in to those who, for whatever their reasons, want us not to see this elemental truth.