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What are white dwarfs?

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A white dwarf is what stars like the Sun become after they have exhausted their nuclear fuel. Near the end of its nuclear burning stage, this type of star expels most of its outer material, creating a planetary nebula. Only the hot core of the star remains. read more

These white dwarfs were so faint that the brightest of them was no more luminous than a 100 watt light bulb seen at the moon's distance. M4 is located 7,000 light years away but is the nearest globular cluster to Earth. read more

A white dwarf, also called a degenerate dwarf, is a stellar core remnant composed mostly of electron-degenerate matter. A white dwarf is very dense: its mass is comparable to that of the Sun, while its volume is comparable to that of Earth. read more

In theory, white dwarfs will eventually stop emitting light and heat and become black dwarfs. Credit: NASA and H. Richer (University of British Columbia). The stars in the sky may seem ageless and unchanging, but eventually most of them will turn into white dwarfs, the last observable stage of evolution for low- and medium-mass stars. read more

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Further Research

White Dwarf Stars
www.universetoday.com

White Dwarfs Facts, Information and Photos
www.nationalgeographic.com