Unraveling the diet of white dwarfs: New insights into their metal consumption

Los Angeles CA (SPX) May 06, 2024

White dwarfs, remnants of stars like the Sun, pack a mass equivalent to the Sun's but are as small as Earth, making up 97% of our galaxy's stars. The transformation of a star into this dense state marks the stellar lifecycle's end, rendering our galaxy a celestial necropolis. The chemical composition of white dwarfs, especially the unexpected presence of heavy metals like silicon, magnesiu