Mystery radio signal from space that’s on 157-day cycle just woke up right on schedule			 6park.com
A mysterious radio signal beamed to Earth from a distant galaxy has been detected again by astronomers. 6park.com
The so-called Fast Radio Burst repeats every 157 days with the power 
of millions of suns and its latest barrage arrived right on time last 
week. 6park.com
Known as FRB 121102, scientists hope that studying the strange 
blinkering signal could unlock the secret to what FRBs are and where 
they come from. 6park.com
Fast Radio Bursts are intense pulses of radio waves that last no 
longer than the blink of an eye and come from far beyond our Milky Way 
galaxy. 6park.com
Their origins are unknown. Some think the energetic waves are the 
result of cosmic explosions, while others reckon they’re signals sent by
 aliens. 6park.com
More than 100 FRBs have been discovered to date, but only a handful have repeated and fewer still in a predictable pattern. 6park.com
Recurring bursts give scientists rare chances to study the origins of FRBs. 6park.com
FRB 121102 is one of only two FRBs known to regularly repeat and its 
cycle was described for the first time by British scientists earlier 
this year. 6park.com

Astronomers traced its origins to a star-forming region in a dwarf galaxy three billion light-years away. 6park.com
During its cycle, bursts of milliseconds-long signals are emitted for
 90 days before a quiet period lasting 67 days, for a total loop length 
of 157 days. 6park.com
Now a new study into the FRB has shed new light on its cycle and possible origins. 6park.com
A team at the National Astronomy Observatory of China detected 12 bursts from FRB 121102 on August 12. 6park.com
They scanned the waves using the 500-meter (1,640-foot) Aperture 
Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) – the world’s largest telescope – in 
southwest China. 6park.com

The group’s findings, to The Astronomer’s Telegram, suggest the burst is currently in its active phase and repeats every 156 days – not 157. 6park.com
According to their paper, FRB 121102’s active phase is due to end between 31 August and 9 September 2020. 6park.com
If telescopes continue to pick up bursts beyond these dates, then 
either its predictable pattern does not exist or has somehow evolved, 
they said. 6park.com
Scientists urged other teams to continue taking readings of FRB 121102 in the hopes of better-understanding it. 6park.com
Based on the new readings (as well as older ones) the leading theory 
is that the bursts are emitted by a type of neutron star called a 
magnetar. 6park.com
The source of FRBs are still a mystery and the nature of the objects emitting them is unknown.