https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/g5pqew/scientists-uncovered-a-hidden-pattern-in-a-mysterious-signal-from-space

Something in a galaxy located billions of light years away is blasting out pulses of light on a bizarre periodic schedule that lasts 157 days, according to a new study. The discovery may help solve the mystery of fast radio bursts (FRBs), which are sudden and intense bursts of light that last only milliseconds. Though there are many theories about their origins and causes, FRBs are still unexplained at this time.

When the first FRB was identified in 2007, scientists thought it might be a cataclysmic event such as the explosion of a massive star. Over the next decade, though, it became clear that some of these bursts are “repeaters,” meaning that they emit multiple pulses of light that cannot be explained by a one-time cosmic cataclysm like a supernova. The first known repeater signal was dubbed FRB 121102, and for years a pattern in its signals eluded scientists, until now.