Astronomers have predicted and confirmed the existence of a new type of variable star, with the help of the 2.1-meter Otto Struve Telescope at McDonald Observatory. Called a “pulsating carbon white dwarf,” this is the first new class of variable white dwarf star discovered in more than 25 years. Because the overwhelming majority of stars in the universe–including the sun–will end their lives as white dwarfs, studying the pulsations (i.e., variations in light output) of these newly discovered examples gives astronomers a window on an important end point in the lives of most stars.