From the deepest blue oceans to the rusty deserts, from the lush green forests to the endless sky, our planet is a spectacular marvel. Yet, Earth is just a small part of an even larger, awe-inspiring universe.

Beyond our blue-green marble, countless stars and worlds shine brightly in the deep and mysterious space. Though these stars may seem cute twinkling phenomena, many of these hold mysteries and peculiarities that humans still cannot fully understand. These stars defy categorisation and are true celestial oddities that challenge our understanding and spark our imaginations.

While most stars follow a well-defined life cycle, burning hydrogen in their core and eventually exploding as supernovas, others exhibit bizarre behaviours that leave scientists scratching their heads. Today, we’ll leave Earth behind and explore these fascinating cosmic curiosities!

A star caught in a cosmic Tug-of-War

Meet SAO 206462 — a star that looks like a miniature spiral galaxy! This young star is located a mere 460 light-years away from Earth. Unlike normal galaxies, which have grand, spiral arms, this star is distorted. Scientists believe that the star’s odd appearance is due to the strong gravitational pull applied by two of its newly forming planets that distorts the shape of the star itself.

The planets are thought to be inside a huge ring of gas and dust around the star. The strong gravity of these large planets is stretching the ring into strange, spiral shapes, giving a unique view in space.

Lucy — a diamond in the universe

BPM 37093 nicknamed ‘Lucy’ after the Beatles song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.” So what is the connection?

Originally, the song was inspired by a portrait drawn by Beatles’ John Lennon’s son, young Julian, about a girl floating among the stars that glittered like diamonds. Well, the song itself doesn’t have any connection, but to scientists and researchers, it gave them meaning and they made a connection when they discovered BPM 37093, a white dwarf star with a core of crystallised........

© Dawn Young Magazine