You Down with FRB?



Yeah, you know me.  Yesterday, my friend Shari sent me a link to the BBC story about Mysterious Radio Signals from Deep Space, which I posted on my Facebook page and Twitter account.  There is that word, "mysterious" again.  It is like I was saying yesterday, in the Project Blue Book review, how people feel the need to attach a Twilight Zone kind of feeling to anything remotely connected to possible life on other planets.  It is so cheesy.

What are FRBs?


Anyway, the mysterious signals from space, called Fast Radio Bursts (FRB) really are not that mysterious. They are likely the result of a natural phenomenon created by a "powerful nebula or supernova remnant," as explained in a follow up to the story, which the BBC posted over night while most of us were asleep, here in the US.  They say it could also be from a dead star in a powerful magnetic environment.

What are FRBs?
You Down with FRB?
It could also be from aliens.  Both stories allude to the possibility that the source of these signals could be an alien spaceship or a civilization somewhere.  But they say that only a minority of scientist are taking that tack.  There are a couple reasons for that.

The first, but lessor, reason is because scientists are bound to using Scientific Method and they can not just jump to conclusions.  I can, and I will, but reputable scientists (who know much more about space than I ever will) are required to follow a systematic series of steps whereby they must explore the most logical conclusions based on prior research.  In other words, since there is little evidence of alien life but lots of evidence of natural phenomena, the natural explanations are the first one that will be explored.

The second, but greater, reason is because most astronomers are scared.  They are a bunch of chickens.  Yeah, I said it.  Whenever a scientists goes public with a new finding, that finding is subject to peer-review.  Every scientist in the world is then encouraged to take a look at the finding and either replicate its results or poke holes in it to prove it wrong.  That is how science works.  (That is why it is mind boggling that people would deny Global Climate Change, btw, but that is a whole other can of worms.)

In the peer-review process, if an astronomer's conclusions cannot be proven, he may face the ridicule of his peers.  This may not be overt, in-your-face pointing-and-laughing, it may just be an unspoken loss of confidence.  Other scientists may be reluctant to team with you on future projects.  You might find yourself sitting alone in the staff cafeteria while your former so-called friends all sit down together at another table and laugh loudly about stories you cannot hear.  It will be like Middle School all over again.

Professional scientists likely worked their butts off all through primary school, college, a masters program, and a PhD defense.  They need to weigh all that hard work and success against taking a chance on stepping out of the pack with a bold proclamation.  Yes, scientists are scared to publicly discuss anything related to aliens.  I am calling you out, scientists.  Prove me wrong on this one, I dare you.  I Double Dog Dare you!

FRBs are Rare


Only 18 FRBs have been detected, in the entire history of Astronomy.  One of these, FRB121102, has sent out 150 bursts or flashes since 2012.  Ole Ferby2, as I like to call her, is located three billion light-years from Earth.  So it is unlikely anyone is trying to communicate directly with us - it would take six billion years for them to get a response from  us.  Ain't nobody got time for that!  Was someone trying to communicate with anyone?  In this case, probably not.  Besides, the amount of energy in each burst was about as much as our Sun releases in a whole day.  It is hard, even for someone not bound to the scientific method, to imagine anything man-made (or alien-made, as it were) creating something like that.

astronomers are scared
Astronomers are Scared

However, it turns out a couple scientists at Harvard had the guts to go there.  Futurism.com reports astrophysicists Avi Loeb and Manasvi Lingam took on the task of investigating the possibility that FRBs could be the result of alien technology.  You know Loeb as the Chair of the Harvard Astronomy Dept on the "Oumuamua" episode of That's My Mama.

It is possible, Loeb and Lingam say, that an advanced civilization with a sun similar to ours could construct a massive solar array, twice as large as Earth, which could direct enough energy our way to create one of these bursts.  Even I am reluctant to jump on board with that one but I like how these guys think.

They go on to suggest that the purpose of the FRBs could be to propel spaceships quickly across vast distances.  In other words, it is how "they" get from there to here.  This is my new favorite theory (though I am still very fond of my Gravitational Attraction Theory).  It would help explain a lot, even if we still cannot explain how such an enormous structure could be built - it would take millions of years.  Although, if a civilization evolved to be as advanced as we are, at the time of the dinosaurs, they may have had time to build this solar array by now.  What if this happened billions of years ago?  It is possible.

This still does not explain how spaceships are able to get back home.  The one that I saw shot off into space, according to Mike, the other witness.  How did that happen?



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If you have seen an alien spaceship or any type of unidentified flying object (UFO) contact me using the Contact form on this page.  You may remain anonymous if you want.  I will not ridicule you or try to tell you why you are wrong.  I get it, I saw one too.

Thank you for reading and keep an eye on the sky.

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