Illustration of an exoplanet around a white dwarf with a debris disk

Exoplanets

JWST Photographs Possible Giant Planets Around White Dwarfs

JWST has directly imaged two giant exoplanets orbiting white dwarf stars. This discovery may reveal the fate of our solar system.

hot blue ball, one side brighter than the other

Stellar Science

A Jekyll-Hyde White Dwarf

The white dwarf J2033 seems to switch rapidly between two compositions.

White dwarf surrounded by debris disk (art)

Stellar Science

Ancient White Dwarf Hosts Planetary Graveyard

Scientists have discovered one of the oldest planetary graveyards in the Milky Way: a cool white dwarf "polluted" with rocky debris.

White dwarf surrounded by debris disk (art)

Stellar Science

A Strange White Dwarf with a Chaotic Past

New observations show that both rocky and icy worlds fell onto a white dwarf, indicating past orbital chaos in the system.

Nova illustration

Stellar Science

Astronomers Watched a White Dwarf Turn into a Thermonuclear Fireball

Astronomers have spotted the X-ray flash that precedes a nova. The brief flare is the first sign of a white dwarf erupting into a nuclear-fusion fireball.

M13

Stellar Science

60-second Astro News: White Dwarfs Still Burn, Black Holes Merge

This week in astronomy news, we learn that some white dwarfs still burn and image X-rays from black holes almost 12 billion light-years away.

Smallest white dwarf comparison to Moon

Stellar Science

Moon-size White Dwarf Is the Smallest Ever Found

Astronomers have discovered a white dwarf only slightly bigger than the Moon, making it the smallest ever found. It might even be on the edge of collapse.

Farfarout object

Astronomy & Observing News

Planet-eating White Dwarfs, A Black Hole Cluster & The "Farfarout" Object

This week in astronomy news, astronomers found planet-eating white dwarfs, a cluster of black holes, and a "farfarout" object that's now the most distant known in the solar system.

Hot Jupiter around a white dwarf

Exoplanets

Giant Planet Found Around a White Dwarf

Astronomers have found a Jupiter-size planet orbiting a much smaller white dwarf. The discovery shows what a system might look like after its star's death.

White dwarf with crystal core

Astronomy & Observing News

60-second Astro News: White Dwarfs & Hot Jupiters

This week in astronomy news: Space telescopes show us that white dwarfs are crystallizing in their cores and cloudy night skies are universal among hot Jupiters.

Stellar Science

Shockwaves Light up Stellar Explosions

Thermonuclear power sets off a type of stellar explosion known as a classical nova. Now, new research explains the mechanisms that cause these blasts to light up.

Ancient Nova Scorpii 1437

Stellar Science

Historical Observations Reveal Ancient Nova

Astronomers and historians pinpoint the source of a 15th-century classical nova. It’s currently regathering strength.

white dwarf trigger supernova

Stellar Science

The White Dwarf That Survived

A peculiar white dwarf could be what’s left after a failed supernova explosion.

Explore the Night with Bob King

Nights of the Living Dead — What Stars Leave Behind

Stars leave interesting messes after they die: diamond-studded puffballs, neutron stars, and black holes. We explore an example of each in June's night skies.

Peewee and Papa

Explore the Night with Bob King

Hunting White Dwarfs, the Night's Stellar Peewees

Take a trip down the rabbit hole to the weird and weighty world of planet-sized white dwarf stars.

Natural Artistry

Deep Sky

Hunting Giant Planetary Nebulae

Mind your elders the next clear night and pay a visit to some of Spring's biggest and most ancient planetary nebulae.

Celestial News & Events

Meet My Variable Friend SS Cygni

Get acquainted with SS Cygni, the sky's brightest cataclysmic variable star. It's guaranteed to keep you on your toes.