Astronomers “Blown Away” by Weird Two-Faced Star
Unusual white dwarf star is made of hydrogen on one side and helium on the other. In a first for white dwarfs, the burnt-out cores…
White Dwarf News
White dwarfs are the very dense stellar remnants of red giant stars that were unable to form a black hole or neutron star. Read more about these tiny stars with the volume of the Earth but the mass of the Sun at SciTechDaily.com.
New White Dwarf Pulsar Discovery: “Stellar Fossils” Unveil Cosmic Secrets
A research group from the University of Warwick has discovered a rare white dwarf pulsar for only the second time, providing significant insights into stellar…
Celestial Graveyards Reveal That Stars and Planets Grow Together
Astronomers have discovered that planet formation in our young Solar System began far earlier than previously thought, with planet building blocks growing at the same…
New Clues to Understanding the Mysterious Origin of Supernovae
Scientists from the RIKEN Cluster for Pioneering Research have used computer modeling to show how a hypothesized type of supernova would evolve on the scale…
Explosion on a White Dwarf Star Observed for the Very First Time
When stars like our Sun run out of fuel, they contract to form white dwarfs. Such dead stars can sometimes flare back to life in…
Astronomers Map the Movement of White Dwarfs of the Milky Way
White dwarfs were once normal stars similar to the Sun but then collapsed after exhausting all their fuel. Historically, these interstellar remnants have been difficult…
Astronomers Observe a Cosmic Particle Accelerator As Never Before
Gamma ray observatory H.E.S.S. reveals a cosmic particle acceleration process in unprecedented detail. With the help of special telescopes, researchers have observed a cosmic particle…
Debris From Disintegrating Planet Seen Hurtling Into White Dwarf Star for First Time
Final Moments of Planetary Remnants Seen for First Time New study confirms decades of indirect evidence for debris from disintegrating planets hurtling into white dwarfs…
Mysterious Cosmic “Spider” Found To Be Source of Powerful Gamma-Rays
Investigated by the SOAR Telescope operated by NOIRLab, the binary system is the first to be found at the penultimate stage of its evolution. Using…
Unusual X-Ray Activity Detected As Object Is Roasted and Shredded by a Stellar Sidekick
An exhausted star still has some punches to deliver. Astronomers have found that a white dwarf is pummeling a companion object — either a lightweight…
Roasted and Shredded by a Stellar Sidekick: Astronomers Find White Dwarf Blasting a Companion Object
A white dwarf is blasting a companion object, which is either a low-mass star or a planet. The companion is likely receiving a barrage of…
High-Speed Propeller Star Is Fastest Spinning White Dwarf – It’s the Size of Earth, but 200,000 Times More Massive
Record-breaking spin rate for a confirmed white dwarf star is observed by University of Warwick-led astronomers Establishes the star as only the second magnetic propeller…
A Cosmic Powder Keg: When a Stable Star Explodes
The supernova remnant G344.7-0.1 is across the Milky Way about 19,600 light years from Earth. It belongs to a class of supernovas called “Type Ia”…
Astronomers Use Planet-Hunting Satellite To See White Dwarf “Switch On and Off” for First Time
Astronomers have used a planet-hunting satellite to see a white dwarf abruptly switching on and off for the first time. The researchers led by Durham…
Planet Discovered That Survived Its Star’s Death: A Crystal Ball Into Our Solar System’s Future
Giant gas planet orbiting a dead star gives glimpse into the predicted aftermath of our sun’s demise. Astronomers have discovered the very first confirmed planetary…
A Smoldering Stellar Corpse on the Edge: Astronomers Spot a White Dwarf So Massive It Might Collapse
Astronomers have discovered the smallest and most massive white dwarf ever seen. The smoldering cinder, which formed when two less massive white dwarfs merged, is…
Solution Proposed to Mystery of Incredibly Strong White Dwarf Magnetic Fields
University of Warwick astronomer co-authors new study in Nature Astronomy that proposes a solution to long-running question of how white dwarf stars generate magnetic fields…
Vaporized Crusts of Earth-Like Planets Discovered in Dying Stars
Remnants of planets with Earth-like crusts have been discovered in the atmospheres of four nearby white dwarf stars by University of Warwick astronomers, offering a…