Scientists locate source of mysterious radio signals after 20 year search: A vampire star and its victim

An illustration of a large orange circle toward the top left. There is a tiny white-purple circle toward the bottom right. The two circles are connected by a bright blue ribbon.

The clashing magnetic fields of a white dwarf star and its neighboring red dwarf star are the source of signals from space that have remained a puzzle for over 20 years, radio astronomers in Australia have found.

The signals, or long-period radio transients, are a class of celestial radio emissions discovered in 2005. Most radio-producing objects release bursts that last for mere seconds or less, but long-period radio transients, about a dozen of which are known, produce radio waves in bursts lasting from minutes to over an hour.