Oct 16, 2026 05:00 PM
The star that glows green
"The team found that each star fell into distinct colour groups depending on what's in its atmosphere.
Carbon-rich white dwarfs are typically pink or purple.
White dwarfs that have swallowed debris from asteroids and comets tend to be more yellow.
Cooler white dwarfs with mixed hydrogen and helium atmospheres are often cyan or pale blue.
Star WD J1330+6435, which is about 4,000°C (7,200°F), has swallowed rocky debris from its orbiting planets.
That, say the team, has enriched its atmosphere with calcium, lithium, and sodium, causing it to glow green – according to models.
They say no other star has ever been 'credibly' reported as green, making it the first known genuinely green star in the Galaxy.
"The traces of sodium in the atmosphere of this white dwarf absorb the orange part of the spectrum, leaving behind a ghostly green glow," says Dr Hollands.
"Imagine standing on a planet and looking up at a green star. It feels like something out of science fiction."---- https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/news/...rYnTBNm3Dg
"The team found that each star fell into distinct colour groups depending on what's in its atmosphere.
Carbon-rich white dwarfs are typically pink or purple.
White dwarfs that have swallowed debris from asteroids and comets tend to be more yellow.
Cooler white dwarfs with mixed hydrogen and helium atmospheres are often cyan or pale blue.
Star WD J1330+6435, which is about 4,000°C (7,200°F), has swallowed rocky debris from its orbiting planets.
That, say the team, has enriched its atmosphere with calcium, lithium, and sodium, causing it to glow green – according to models.
They say no other star has ever been 'credibly' reported as green, making it the first known genuinely green star in the Galaxy.
"The traces of sodium in the atmosphere of this white dwarf absorb the orange part of the spectrum, leaving behind a ghostly green glow," says Dr Hollands.
"Imagine standing on a planet and looking up at a green star. It feels like something out of science fiction."---- https://www.skyatnightmagazine.com/news/...rYnTBNm3Dg