Vampire stars mystery may have been solved

The mysterious origins of the stellar version of vampires — stars that apparently drain life away from other stars to look young — may just have been solved, scientists revealed. 

Blue stragglers are oddball stars that seem to lag or straggle in age behind the ancient neighbors with which they formed. Instead, they appear inexplicably hotter, and thus younger and bluer.

Astronomers have debated for decades as to why blue stragglers don't show their age. It's been hypothesized that they must have come across extra hydrogen fuel that helped them burn hotter, but it was uncertain whether they did so by merging with other stars, colliding with victims or stealing hydrogen from companions. [ Top 10 Star Mysteries ]

"People have been trying to explain the origin of blue stragglers since their discovery in 1953," said study lead author Aaron Geller, an astronomer at Northwestern University.   More Read