red giant stars
New Types of Hidden Stars Seen for the First Time
Astronomers performing a vast infrared variable star survey have discovered new additions to the stellar menagerie. These new types of…
The Discovery of a Hot Neptune that Shouldn’t Exist
1800 light-years away, an unlikely survivor orbits an aged star. This rare planet is called a hot Neptune, and it's…
Binary Stars Live Complicated Lives, Especially Near the End
We know what will happen to our Sun. It'll follow the same path other stars of its ilk follow. It'll…
Astronomers Caught Betelgeuse Just Before it Started Dimming and Might Have Seen a Pressure Wave Rippling Through its Atmosphere
A couple of years ago, Betelgeuse generated much interest when it started dimming. That caught the attention of astronomers worldwide,…
Slimmed Down Red Giants Had Their Mass Stolen By a Companion Star
Millions of stars that can grow up to 620 million miles in diameter, known as 'red giants,' exist in our…
Dying Star Puffs out six Smoke Rings
A red giant star is dying in an unusual way by blowing smoke rings before its eminent demise.
Giant Stars and the Ultimate Fate of the Sun
Astronomers have a new tool to help them understand giant stars. It's a detailed study of the precise temperatures and…
When the Sun Dies, Earth’s Magnetosphere won’t Provide Protection any More
The Earth’s magnetic field is an underappreciated wonder of the natural world. It protects our atmosphere, provides some of the…
Measuring the Temperatures of Red Giants is Actually Pretty Tricky
Red giant stars are, well, red and giant. But astronomers have always had difficulty estimating their temperatures, due to their…
The Oldest Stars Help Tell us how big the Universe is
Astronomers are struggling to understand the discrepancies when measuring the expansion rate of the universe with different methods, and are…