An illustration of a white dwarf star merging with a red giant star. The red giant is an arch across the bottom of the illustration, with a textured surface. The white dwarf is a white pinpoint object at upper center right. The white dwarf in embedded inside a teardrop-shaped cocoon of white gas. It is enveloped in a white open ellipsoid that is the bow shock from speeding through the red giant’s outer atmosphere. The words “artist’s concept” are at lower left.

NASA’s Hubble Uncovers Rare White Dwarf Merger Remnant

An international team of astronomers has discovered a cosmic rarity: an ultra-massive white dwarf star resulting from a white dwarf merging with another star, rather than through the evolution of a single star. This discovery, made by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope’s sensitive ultraviolet observations, suggests these rare white dwarfs may be more common than previously … Continue reading NASA’s Hubble Uncovers Rare White Dwarf Merger Remnant

NASA Science