Astronomers have discovered evidence that some stars can be “kicked out” of their host galaxy, based on data collected by NASA’s Chandra X-Ray Observatory.The stars in question were found in the Fornax Cluster, a group of galaxies located about 60 million light-years from Earth. Chandra stared at these galaxies for a total of 15 days over the course of a 16-year period that spanned from 1999 to 2015. Xiangyu Jin of McGill University, lead author of a paper detailing the find published May 1 in The Astrophysical Journal , says this finding is one of the clearest examples of pairs of stars banished from their home.Binary systems can contain many different types of stars, including neutron stars. These neutron stars form when a massive star collapses and then explodes as a supernova at the end of its life. But the strong blast from the supernova isn’t always symmetric, and thanks to the recoil from such a blast, the newly formed neutron star knocks itself out of its home galaxy. And sometimes, its companion star is carried along for the ride.“It’s like a guest that’s asked to leave a party with a rowdy friend,” Jin said in a press release . “The companion star in this situation is dragged out of the galaxy simply because it’s in orbit with the star that went supernova.”

Dana Berry