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Scientists reveal first 'zombie' star with 'ghostly green glow'
New York Post • • general
Key Points:
- Astronomers from the University of Warwick have discovered the first white dwarf “zombie” star, WD J1330+6435, with a unique ghostly green glow caused by absorbing rocky debris from dead planets, specifically sodium that filters out orange light.
- This discovery reveals that white dwarfs, typically color-coded by temperature, can display unexpected colors like green, pink, yellow, or cyan depending on the elements they consume, such as carbon, calcium, lithium, and sodium.
- Another notable finding includes WD J1011+2845, a white dwarf about 48 light-years away, exhibiting a deep salmon-pink glow due to carbon brought to its surface, potentially making it the reddest star ever observed.
- Researchers estimate that approximately 3% of white dwarfs exhibit vibrant colors influenced by their atmospheric composition, suggesting a significant number of oddly colored white dwarfs exist across the universe.
- White dwarfs are the remnants of stars that have exhausted their nuclear fuel and consume nearby planetary debris; our Sun is expected to enter this phase in about 5 billion years after engulfing the inner planets.
