Astronomers Discover , Record-Breaking White Dwarf Star.
According to a study published on July 1 in 'Nature,' .
The smallest, yet most massive, dwarf star to ever be seen has been documented by the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) from Caltech's Palomar Observatory.
The "very special" star's mass is greater than our sun's, but it is only about the size of our moon.
The "very special" star's mass is greater than our sun's, but it is only about the size of our moon.
It may seem counterintuitive, but smaller white dwarfs happen to be more massive, Ilaria Caiazzo, lead study author, via CBS News.
This is due to the fact that white dwarfs lack the nuclear burning that keep up normal stars against their own self gravity, and their size is instead regulated by quantum mechanics, Ilaria Caiazzo, lead study author, via CBS News.
The star, named ZTF J1901+1458 is actually the result of two white dwarfs merging.
If either star would have had more mass, a supernova would have occurred.
ZTF J1901+1458's "extreme" magnetic field is nearly 1 billion times stronger than the sun's.
How is a magnetic field generated in these powerful events, and why is there such diversity in magnetic field strengths among white dwarfs?, Ilaria Caiazzo, lead study author, via CBS News.
Finding a large population of white dwarfs born from mergers will help us answer all these questions and more, Ilaria Caiazzo, lead study author, via CBS News