white dwarfs

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supernovaesupernovae
+7+7
A star can’t stop exploding over and over and carving a gigantic hole in space

A star can’t stop exploding over and over and carving a gigantic hole in space

Plus: Help on how to take action before the election

Philip Plait
Philip Plait
supernovaesupernovae
+5+5
An incredible image of a celestial fireworks display

An incredible image of a celestial fireworks display

A supernova in the year 1181 produced the spectacular Pa 30 nebula

Philip Plait
Philip Plait
white dwarfswhite dwarfs
+3+3
Two tiny monsters orbit each other with near-perfect geometry
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Two tiny monsters orbit each other with near-perfect geometry

A millisecond pulsar and a white dwarf in a very circular dance

Philip Plait
Philip Plait
Hubble Space TelescopeHubble Space Telescope
+7+7
The infrared mane of the Lion Nebula
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The infrared mane of the Lion Nebula

Another incredible JWST image of a dying star. Also: the discovery of a new satellite galaxy of the Milky Way and four nearby white dwarfs

Philip Plait
Philip Plait
miscellanymiscellany
+5+5
A planet is bigger, and too close, to its host star
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A planet is bigger, and too close, to its host star

WD1856b is a gas giant orbiting uncomfortably close to a white dwarf. How did it get there? Bonus: Bayeux Tapestry astronomy

Philip Plait
Philip Plait
white dwarfswhite dwarfs
+2+2
A naked-eye monster star turns out to be way more complicated than you’d think

A naked-eye monster star turns out to be way more complicated than you’d think

Gamma Cas is easy to spot, but hard to understand

Philip Plait
Philip Plait
Hubble Space TelescopeHubble Space Telescope
+7+7
The Red Spider Nebula: JWST’s view of gorgeously dying star

The Red Spider Nebula: JWST’s view of gorgeously dying star

In stellar death lies great beauty, and amazing science

Philip Plait
Philip Plait
supernovaesupernovae
+7+7
Watch a supernova explosion sweep through space
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Watch a supernova explosion sweep through space

Animation shows X-rays from an exploded star as it expands over the decades

Philip Plait
Philip Plait
supernovaesupernovae
+6+6
An egg-shaped planet orbits a death star

An egg-shaped planet orbits a death star

And that’s not the only thing weird about it

Philip Plait
Philip Plait
Hubble Space TelescopeHubble Space Telescope
+6+6
Hubble unscrambles the Egg Nebula

Hubble unscrambles the Egg Nebula

An amazing image of a dying star fried my brain

Philip Plait
Philip Plait
Hubble Space TelescopeHubble Space Telescope
+6+6
Inside the Helix Nebula: JWST image shows thousands of creepy fingers around a dying star

Inside the Helix Nebula: JWST image shows thousands of creepy fingers around a dying star

Plus: My 200th article for Scientific American

Philip Plait
Philip Plait
white dwarfswhite dwarfs
+2+2
A dying star goes to an iron bar

A dying star goes to an iron bar

A mysterious new feature has been spotted in the Ring Nebula

Philip Plait
Philip Plait