Dying Sun-like stars may kick themselves through space
Astrophysicist Jim Fuller proposes that dying Sun-like stars experience thousands of chaotic, asymmetric ejections of material as they transition into white dwarfs. These 'kicks' can cause the stars to move through space at speeds of up to one kilometer per second.
Why it matters
This model provides a new explanation for the observed movement of stellar remnants, challenging previous assumptions about the orderly nature of stellar evolution.
When stars similar to the Sun grow old, they expand into red giants. During this phase, their outer layers churn and gradually drift into space, while the dense cores left behind shrink into white dwarfs. Because this is the fate of most stars, white dwarfs are among the most common stellar remnants in the universe.
A new model from Caltech theoretical astrophysicist Jim Fuller suggests that this transformation may be far less orderly than it appears. His calculations indicate that uneven bursts of escaping material can repeatedly push a dying star in different directions, giving it thousands of small kicks before the white dwarf fully forms.
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