Astronomers have solved the mystery of how some stars stay youthfully bright and blue, despite being almost as old as the universe itself: They cannibalize their stellar siblings.
Known as blue straggler stars, these age-defying celestial objects have mystified astronomers for more than 70 years. "Blue stragglers are anomalously massive core hydrogen-burning stars that, according to the theory of single star evolution, should not exist," researchers wrote in a paper published Jan. 3 in the journal Nature Communications.
