Space
The Return of a Great 19th-Century Meteor Shower
Long thought nearly extinct, the Andromedid meteor shower staged a surprise outburst last December—and may return in 2018 and 2023
Stories by Ken Croswell
Space
Double Stars Succumb to Fatal Attraction
A new model suggests that short-period binary stars are rare because they tend to merge into one
The Sciences
Running Lights: Did Expelled Stars Re-Ionize the Ancient Universe?
Hot stars booted out of their galactic homes may be responsible for creating the conditions that led to today's universe
Space
Iron in the Fire: The Little-Star Supernovae That Could
Exploding white dwarf stars and an unexpected abundance of iron explain the chemistry of a unique star cluster
Space
The Periodic Table of the Cosmos: 100 Years of the Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram
A simple diagram, which celebrates its centennial this year, continues to serve as the most essential conceptual tool in stellar astrophysics
