An international research team led by astronomers from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy recently used a collection of large radio and optical telescopes to investigate a pulsar and its white dwarf companion.
Life may well exist on planets orbiting dying stars - and, if it does, there's a good chance we'll find it within the next decade, say astrophysicists.
Astronomers reckon they've found the cause of the brightest stellar event ever recorded: a supernova first observed on April 30 1006 that continued to shine for three years.
Astrophysicist Rosanne Di Stefano compares it to the Hollywood blockbuster 'Speed' - a newly-described type of star that's destined to explode if it slows down.
