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Health & Science4h 58m ago

A new Caltech study proposes a model showing that escaping mass from the surfaces of sun-like stars in their final stages leads to a series of "kicks."

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Pasadena

Who
Jim Fuller, Kareem El-Badry (both Caltech)
What
A new Caltech study proposes a model showing that escaping mass from the surfaces of sun-like stars in their final stages leads to a series of "kicks."
When
Mon, 15 Jun 2026 21:40:05 GMT · 4h 58m ago
Where
Pasadena ·
Why
Blobs of matter are chaotically ejected from the surface of bloated stars in an asymmetric fashion, with each ejection causing a kick in the opposite direction.
The Frontline Impact

How this affects you

This model helps explain how white dwarfs, the remnants of sun-like stars, receive kicks that can decouple them from binary star systems. It provides a physical explanation for observations that have previously puzzled astronomers.

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