Bright blasts of radio waves from other galaxies, called fast radio bursts or FRBs, have helped astronomers find previously undetectable ordinary matter. FRBs make good matter detectors because radio waves are affected by the particles they encounter as they cross the universe. Although radio waves all travel at the same speed through empty space, higher-frequency waves (shown in purple) zip through intergalactic matter faster than lower-frequency waves (shown in red). By measuring when radio waves of different frequencies arrive on Earth, astronomers can figure out how many particles of matter the FRB encountered on its journey through the cosmos. That has allowed them to identify matter in the shadowy regions between galaxies that was previously considered missing.
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Video: ICRAR, CSIRO, Alex Cherney, Y. Beletsky/ESO, R. Wesson
