This presentation was taken from a special edition of Scientific American. The full story can be found in Vol. 14, Num. 4 "The Secret Lives of Stars."

Crash Scene

What happens when two stars smack into each other? As n a collision involving two vehicles, the outcome depends on several factors: the speed of the colliding objects, their internal structures and the impact parameter (which specifies whether the collision is head-on or a sideswipe).  Some incidents are fender benders, some are total wrecks and some fall in between.  Higher-velocity and head-on collisions are the best at converting kinetic energy into heat and pressure, making for a total wreck. To Be continued...