Astronomy: A fast radio burst in our own Galaxy

First discovered7 in 2007, their short-lived nature makes it particularly challenging to detect them and to determine their position on the sky. The discovery of FRB 200428 proves that magnetars can indeed drive FRBs. [...]FRB 200428 is the first Galactic radio burst that is as bright as the FRBs observed in other, nearby galaxies, which also provides muchneeded evidence that magnetars could be the sources of extragalactic FRBs. There is therefore scope for truly multi-messenger astronomy - the coordinated use of fundamentally different signal types, such as electromagnetic radiation and neutrinos - to provide another key clue to this cosmic mystery. [...]the discovery highlights the need for international scientific cooperation in astronomy, and for sky coverage from multiple locations.