White Dwarfs are Often Polluted With Heavier Elements. Now We Know Why

When stars exhaust their hydrogen fuel at the end of their main sequence phase, they undergo core collapse and shed their outer layers in a supernova. Whereas particularly massive stars will collapse and become black holes, stars comparable to our Sun become stellar remnants known as “white dwarfs.” These “dead stars” are extremely compact and … Continue reading "White Dwarfs are Often Polluted With Heavier Elements. Now We Know Why"