Space spider caught spinning a web of gamma rays

In a binary "spider" star system, a pulsar devours the gaseous outer layers of its trapped victim.

By Elizabeth Rayne 6 days ago

Astronomers find progenitor systems of extremely rare stars predicted but never before seen

Extremely low mass white dwarf factories found.

By Phil Plait 1 month ago

Two zombie stars are eating their companions and creating cosmic chaos

White dwarfs can eat planets and stars and blast out VAST amounts of energy.

By Phil Plait 2 months ago

Half-eaten exoplanet entrails in zombie stars show how weird alien worlds are

Planetary debris shows alien worlds are extremely diverse.

By Phil Plait 2 months ago

Zombie stars can switch themselves on and off like black holes

Astronomers have spotted a white dwarf star that is “switching” on and off, brightening and dimming.

By Elizabeth Rayne 3 months ago

Want to slow aging? Gently fuse hydrogen all over your surface

By Phil Plait 4 months ago

The ultimate fate of a nearby four-planet system: cosmic pinball, then game over

By Phil Plait 7 months ago

How far away are supernovae? Astronomers find a way to tighten measurements

By Phil Plait 8 months ago

Wait: Do black holes *really* swarm in the core of globular cluster NGC 6397?

By Phil Plait 8 months ago

A star that lived, then died, then lived again, then died for real

By Phil Plait 9 months ago