Eclipsing binary white dwarfs, weird mergers, and peculiar supernovae

After so many years writing about astronomy, I am pleased to report that there are still things going on in the Universe that can make the hair on the back of my stand up.

Let me share a multi-part story with you about dancing dead stars, what strange beast remains after the music stops, and the sometimes explosive result. Very explosive.

White dwarfs are the leftovers of stars like the Sun after they die. When a star like that runs out of nuclear fuel it swells up into a red giant, blows off ...