Stellar Evolution
Stars Can Survive Their Partner Detonating as a Supernova
When a massive star dies in a supernova explosion, it's not great news for any planets or stars that happen…
Hubble Sees a Brand New Triple Star System
In a world that seems to be switching focus from the Hubble Space Telescope to the James Webb Space Telescope,…
Two Stars in a Binary System are Very Different. It's Because There Used to be Three
A beautiful nebula in the southern hemisphere with a binary star at it's center seems to break our standard models…
Baby Stars Discharge “Sneezes” of Gas and Dust
I’m really not sure what to call it but a ‘dusty sneeze’ is probably as good as anything. We have…
Astronomers See 18 Examples of Stars Getting Torn Apart by Black Holes
Black holes have always held a special fascination for me ever since I was a geeky kid looking up at…
Is this the Lightest Black Hole or Heaviest Neutron Star?
About 40,000 light-years away, a rapidly spinning object has a companion that's confounding astronomers. It's heavier than the heaviest neutron…
A Giant Star is Fading Away. But First, it Had an Enormous Eruption
About 16,000 light-years away, a massive star experienced an unusual dimming event. This can happen in binary stars when one…
Three Baby Stars Found at the Heart of the Milky Way
The core of our Milky Way is buzzing with stars. Recently astronomers reported that it contains at least one ancient…
Vampire Stars Get Help from a Third Star to Feed
Some stars are stuck in bad binary relationships. A massive primary star feeds on its smaller companion, sucking gas from…
Can a Dead Star Keep Exploding?
In September 2022, an automated sky survey detected what seemed to be a supernova explosion about one billion light-years away.…