  Very-low-mass stars can develop secularly unstable hydrogen-burning shells
late in their life. Since the thermal pulses that go along are driven at the
bottoms of very shallow envelopes, the stars' luminosities and effective
temperatures react strongly during a pulse cycle. Towards the end of the
Galaxy's stelliferous era, the hydrogen-shell flashing very-low-mass single
stars should inflict an intricate light-show performed by the large population
of previously inconspicuous dim stars. Unfortunately, this natural spectacle
will discharge too late for mankind to indulge in. Not all is hopeless, though:
In the case of close binary-star evolution, hydrogen-shell flashes of
mass-stripped, very-low mass binary components can develop in a fraction of a
Hubble time. Therefore, the Galaxy should be able put forth a few candidates
that are going to evolve through a H-shell flash in a humanity-compatible time
frame.
