The Lorimer Burst
Unlike some of the fast radio bursts that we have discovered over the years, the Lorimer Burst has yet to be fully explained. Named after its discoverer, Duncan Lorimer, this FRB was picked up by the Parkes Radio Telescope in Australia. During one 2007 evening, a burst came through that was so short and intense, it was assumed to be a glitch in the data. However, after careful investigation, it was later determined to be a real astrophysical event. To this day, the cause of the burst is still unknown. Of course, some scientists have tried to explain it or find potential causes that make more sense.
Others, however, have chosen to claim it was a signal from some type of extraterrestrial civilization. It was certainly an interesting FRB to observe. As referenced above, fast radio bursts are named as they are because of the major burst of energy that moves fast. Essentially, they last a short period of time. Yet most of the time, you’re going to have something last for up to three seconds. The fact this moved so quickly made us pay a lot more attention, giving us the knowledge that bursts can last just milliseconds. Since 2007, we have more advanced equipment to pick up FRBs. Yet the Lorimer Burst still remains one of our big cosmic mysteries.