New structure for white dwarf stars
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
Astronomers have unexpectedly identified a small number of white dwarf stars with pure carbon atmospheres and no traces of the usual hydrogen or helium.
The stars apparently violently expelled all the light gases in their atmospheres, leaving a bare core in each that is primarily composed of carbon and oxygen, the team reported Thursday in the journal Nature. This would represent a new pathway for stellar evolution. The stars are unusually hot, 18,000 to 24,000 degrees Kelvin. (Our sun is 5,780 degrees Kelvin.)
