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First Green Star Adds to Milky Way's Rainbow
Newser • • science
Key Points:
- Astronomers have identified a white dwarf star, WD J1330+6435, about 326 light-years away, as the first credible green star, challenging the typical perception that white dwarfs only appear white or pale blue.
- The study led by the University of Warwick suggests that white dwarfs can exhibit a range of colors—pink, purple, cyan, yellow—depending on the elements in their dense helium atmospheres, influenced by material they absorb from nearby debris.
- Specifically, the green color of WD J1330+6435 is attributed to sodium from rocky debris stripping out orange light, while another star, WD J1011+2845, may be the deepest red-hued star known, described as "almost like a salmon pink."
- These findings imply that the apparent white or pale blue color of most white dwarfs is due to their distance from Earth, and that about 1 in 30 white dwarfs might display unusual colors when observed up close.
