From the April 2011 issue

What is a blue straggler?

Solomon Agbahowe, Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, Australia
By | Published: April 25, 2011 | Last updated on May 18, 2023
Blue-stragglers
Blue stragglers ikely form through two scenarios: two stars spiraling in toward each other, or two stars colliding head-on. In both, red stars merge and eventually turn into a bluer, more massive one. Astronomy: Roen Kelly

Some stars are called “blue stragglers” because they are blue (and thus hot) and seem to have “straggled” in their evolution.