Those X-ray blasts are coming in a strange pattern, and that pattern has lasted for months. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Astronomers have detected a rare pattern in the X-ray bursts coming from a neutron-star system no more than 16,300 light-years away. That star system, MAXI J1621−501, first turned up on Oct. 9, 2017, ...