11.   Shaham and his associates at Columbia found that neutron stars sometimes increased their rates of spin after picking up mass from companion stars.

12.   Terzian of Cornell said he doubted that the gravitational effects of companion stars could be causing the observed patterns.

13.   The energy was coming from the transfer of gas from the companion star into a disk of matter surrounding the invisible mass known as a black hole.

14.   The outer hydrogen atmosphere of the companion star, nearing the end of its normal life, is ballooning out and crashing into the neutron star.

15.   These occur when matter from one star falls onto a companion white dwarf star, which then becomes unstable and explodes.

16.   They proposed the mechanism by which this takes place, and predicted that such pulsars would eventually evaporate their companion stars.

17.   This suggests that the presence of a companion star does not necessarily disrupt a disk before it has had enough time to form planets.

18.   Two companion stars, sparkling like crystals in sunlight, danced across the top of the eyepiece.

19.   It sucked matter from a companion star until it reached critical mass and temperature.

20.   Scientists believe that the thermonuclear explosion was preceded by a build-up of hot gas pulled from a larger companion star.