Curiouser and Curiouser

The bright star Sirius

and its tiny white-dwarf

companion. (Credit: The

McDonald Observatory)

One hundred and fifty years ago, two astronomers in Cambridgeport, Massachusetts, were testing the lenses of a new telescope they were building and in the process discovered an entirely new cosmic creature (although it took a while to figure that out).  Click here to read more about it in my latest column for Natural History magazine. Happy Anniversary, white dwarf star!