The unblinking stare of space telescopes like Kepler and TESS have not only been efficient planet-discovery machines, they have also revolutionized the way we look at pulsating stars. I will discuss how these missions have enhanced our understanding of stars at the end of their life cycles – white dwarfs – and helped uncover a completely unexpected new physical phenomenon: large-amplitude outbursts in the coolest pulsating white dwarfs. These outbursts resemble stellar flares but are more like rogue waves, sporadically increases the overall stellar brightness by in some cases tens of percent. The outbursts have provided fresh insight into how pulsation energy can be transferred through parametric resonances, as well as the eventual cessation of pulsations in cool white dwarfs.
