Some 90s trends have made very welcome comebacks; others, no one needs to see ever again. Unlike frosted tips, baggy Tie-Dye shirts, landline phones and pogs, however, which have (hopefully?) been consigned to the dustbin, binary stars are resurfacing as worthy of study. And not a moment too soon.
In short, binary stars are vital in the quest to understand stellar evolution. They can also enhance our comprehension of exotic astrophysical phenomena, like the supernova explosions that mark births of black holes and neutron stars. Yet, for many years, binary star research has been as neglected as that old Tamagotchi in your drawer.
