A Preston professor is part of an international team that has discovered a new type of pulsating star.

Professor Don Kurtz from the University of Central Lancashire co-authored the study on the new “single-sided pulsator”.

While stars that pulsate have been known in astronomy for a long time, this is the first time a single-sided pulsator has been found.

The clue that led to its discovery came from “citizen scientists” – amateur astronomers who search satellite data and alert their professional colleagues if they notice anything unusual.

Although this is the first star to be found where only one side is pulsating, the authors believe that there must be more such stars.

Professor Kurtz said: “Since the 1980s, we’ve believed that systems like this could exist, but it is only now that we have finally found one!”

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