white dwarf
The Mass of a Single Star (other than the Sun) has Been Directly Measured for the First Time
How do you measure an object's weight from a distance? You could guess at its distance and therefore derive its…
Two Stars Orbiting Each Other Every 51 Minutes. This Can’t End Well
We don't have to worry too much about our Sun. It can burn our skin, and it can emit potent…
Astronomers Finally Catch a Nova Detonating on a White Dwarf as it's Happening
On July 7, 2020, the X-ray instrument eROSITA captured an astronomical event that – until then – had only been…
If There are Dyson Spheres Around White Dwarfs, We Should be Able to Detect Them
Searching for Dyson spheres, rings, or swarms remains a preoccupation of many astronomers. If there are any out there, they…
A New Kind of Stellar Explosion Has Been Discovered: Micronovae
The most energetic explosions in the Universe come from stars called supernovae. These galactic bombs have the energy of about…
Astronomers Discover a Strange new Star That Might be From the Collision Between two Dead Stars
With how many stars there are in our galaxy, there are sure to be plenty of different types of them. …
Planet Found in the Habitable Zone of a White Dwarf
Most stars will end their lives as white dwarfs. White dwarfs are the remnant cores of once-luminous stars like our…
Astronomers Discover a Totally New Kind of Nebula
Most Universe Today readers are familiar with nebulae. They're gaseous structures lit up with radiation from nearby stars, and they're…
White Dwarfs can Continue Burning Hydrogen, Even After They’re Dead
White dwarfs are supposed to be dead remnants of stars, doomed to simply fade away into the background. But new…
From the way These Stars Look, a Supernova is Inevitable
Sometimes loud explosions are easier to deal with when you know they’re coming. They are also easier to watch out…