Stellar Graveyard Secrets: Astronomers Solve White Dwarf Heavy Metal Mystery
Recent research reveals that white dwarfs consume nearby planetesimals due to a “natal kick” during their formation. This dynamic alteration affects their motion and the…
A white dwarf is a small, dense stellar remnant left after a star like our Sun has exhausted most of its nuclear fuel and expelled its outer layers. Typically about the size of Earth but containing the mass of about half to 1.4 times that of the Sun, white dwarfs represent the final evolutionary state of stars that do not have sufficient mass to continue nuclear fusion into heavier elements, a fate shared by over 97% of the stars in the Milky Way. These stellar remnants are incredibly dense, with their material compressed to a quantum state known as electron degenerate matter. White dwarfs no longer undergo fusion reactions, so they do not generate new energy; instead, they emit only residual thermal energy, slowly cooling over billions of years. The ultimate fate of a white dwarf is to cool and dim, eventually becoming a black dwarf — a theoretical endpoint when it no longer emits significant heat or light.
Recent research reveals that white dwarfs consume nearby planetesimals due to a “natal kick” during their formation. This dynamic alteration affects their motion and the…
Scientists have discovered that some white dwarfs stop cooling due to internal crystal formation, challenging existing theories on star aging and affecting stellar age estimation…
Recent findings show some white dwarf stars halt their cooling due to gravitational energy release, overturning the belief that these stars are simply cooling remnants…
New research reveals that white dwarf stars stop cooling due to floating crystals in their interior, offering insights into stellar aging processes. In a paper…
Researchers discovered why some white dwarfs remain luminous for billions of years: a core process where lighter crystals rise and denser liquids sink, balancing the…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Final Moments of Planetary Remnants Seen for the First Time New study confirms decades of indirect evidence for debris from disintegrating planets hurtling into white…
Binary System Is the First To Be Found at the Penultimate Stage of Its Evolution Using the SOAR Telescope, scientists have discovered a binary system…
An exhausted star still has some punches to deliver. Astronomers have found that a white dwarf is pummeling a companion object — either a lightweight…
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…
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…
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” that…