The ultimate family tree

摘要

SINCE prehistory, humans have looked to the stars and seen gods and monsters. But now there are new constellations in the night sky. Their invisible lines criss-cross the cosmos, linking stars of different ages, colours and brightness in a tangled network that seems at first to have no clear purpose. But unlike the familiar classical constellations, these are more than aesthetically pleasing patterns: they mark out the first family tree of the stars (see "Family portrait", page 38).