 Half a million years ago and 50 light @-@ years from Earth , a star in the constellation Draco turns supernova , and the star 's remnant becomes a neutron star . The radiation from the explosion causes mutations in many Earth organisms , including a group of hominina that become the ancestors of Homo sapiens . The star 's short @-@ lived plasma jets are lop @-@ sided because of anomalies in its magnetic field , and set it on a course passing within 250 astronomical units of the Sun . In 2020 CE , human astronomers detect the neutron star , call it " Dragon 's Egg " , and in 2050 they send an expedition to explore it . 
