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Health & Science4h 2m ago
A new study from Caltech's Jim Fuller proposes a model of Sun-like stars' final death throes, showing how escaping mass leads to a series of "little kicks."
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Pasadena
Who
Jim Fuller, Kareem El-Badry, Caltech
What
A new study from Caltech's Jim Fuller proposes a model of Sun-like stars' final death throes, showing how escaping mass leads to a series of "little kicks."
When
Mon, 15 Jun 2026 17:36:00 GMT · 4h 2m ago
Where
Pasadena ·
Why
Blobs of matter are chaotically ejected from the surface of bloated stars in an asymmetric fashion, and each ejection gives the star a little kick in the opposite direction.
The Frontline Impact
How this affects you
This model provides a physical explanation for observations of white dwarfs receiving kicks and offers a potential mechanism for stellar collisions between dying red giants and their companions, which could trigger explosions.
Story chain
6 events in this thread- Health & Science4h 2m agoA new study from Caltech's Jim Fuller proposes a model showing that escaping mass from dying stars' surfaces leads to a series of little kicks.Open article
- Currently Reading4h 2m agoA new study from Caltech's Jim Fuller proposes a model of Sun-like stars' final death throes, showing how escaping mass leads to a series of "little kicks."
- Health & Science4h 2m agoA new study proposes a model where aging Sun-like stars experience a series of 'kicks' as they shed mass, eventually leading to a net movement of about a kilometer per second.Open article
- Health & Science4h 2m agoA new study proposes a model showing that the final death throes of Sun-like stars involve "little kicks" as blobs of matter are chaotically ejected from their surfaces.Open article
- Health & Science4h 2m agoA new study from Caltech's Jim Fuller proposes a model explaining how escaping mass from aging Sun-like stars leads to a series of "little kicks" impacting their movement and binary systems.Open article
- Health & Science4h 2m agoA new study from Caltech's Jim Fuller proposes a new model of the final death throes of Sun-like stars that shows how escaping mass from the stars' surfaces leads to a series of little kicks.Open article