A study published this month in RAS Techniques and Instruments, led by Mark Hollands of Warwick University, reports that white dwarf stars can display unexpected colors such as green and pink, rather than the standard red-to-blue spectrum typical of most stars. Researchers attribute this to trace elements like sodium, calcium or carbon interacting with dense helium in the star's atmosphere as it cools, absorbing specific wavelengths of light.
cnet.com
· 2026-10-18
Researchers studying the white dwarf WD J1330+6435, about 326 light-years away, found its atmosphere enriched with calcium, lithium and sodium from accreted rocky material, likely debris from an orbiting planetary companion. Their modeling indicates sodium absorbs orange light, giving the dead star a green appearance, making it the first star credibly documented as green. The same study also flagged white dwarf WD J1011+2845, 48 light-years away, as potentially the reddest star ever observed. The findings appear in the journal RAS Techniques and Instruments.
science.slashdot.org
· 2026-10-17
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