Astronomy Tea Talk

Blue Straggler Stars (BSS) are anomalous stellar populations that appear brighter and bluer than the main-sequence turnoff in star clusters, challenging standard single-star evolution. They are thought to form through binary mass transfer, mergers, or dynamical interactions. In this talk, I present a multi-wavelength study of BSS and related exotic populations using ultraviolet data from AstroSat/UVIT and GALEX, combined with optical and infrared observations. Using spectral energy distribution (SED) analysis, I identify hot companions, particularly white dwarfs, providing direct evidence for binary mass-transfer formation channels. I also extend this study to field populations to explore the role of binary evolution beyond clusters. Further, I perform binary evolution modeling using MESA, focusing on systems such as WOCS 5011 in NGC 7789. Ongoing work includes light curve analysis using TESS/ZTF data and binary modeling with PHOEBE, along with spectroscopic follow-up, to further constrain binary parameters and refine formation pathways.