How is a white dwarf star formed?

Formation. Main-sequence stars form from clouds of dust and gas drawn together by gravity. How the stars evolve through their lifetime depends on their mass. The most massive stars, with eight times the mass of the sun or more, will never become white dwarfs. read more

As the white dwarf pulls material from a companion star, the temperature increases, eventually triggering a runaway reaction that detonates in a violent supernova that destroys the white dwarf. This process is known as a single-degenerate model of a Type 1a supernova. read more

A white dwarf is the last stage of a low mass stars life. After a red giant is done fusing helium to carbon and oxygen, the star will collapse to a white swarf. White dwarves are usually between 15,000-6,000 kelvins. A white dwarf is formed when a small or medium-sized star runs out of fuel in its core. read more

White Dwarfs are the most common variety of what are called stellar remnants (or, if you prefer different terminology, compact objects) - the end result of stellar evolution. read more