A neutron star is the remains of a massive star that once died in a supernova explosion. As a whole, neutron stars are considered some of the most extreme objects in the known universe — and that's especially true when these incredibly dense star remnants exist alongside companion stars (that haven't yet "died") close enough for a neutron star's immense gravity to strip away material from that second star. In other words, the companion star is like the neutron star's stellar victim.
These "vampire neutron stars" are special because they spring back to life like a cosmic Bela Lugosi. This is because a companion star's infalling material triggers thermonuclear explosions at the neutron star's surface. Some of this stolen matter is channeled toward the poles of the neutron star, from where it erupts at near-light speeds in the form of powerful astrophysical jets. Yet quite what causes these jets to be launched — and how they connect to these thermonuclear bursts — has remained a mystery.
