Astronomers Discover the First Green Star (science.slashdot.org)
Astronomers have identified what may be the first genuinely green star, a white dwarf called WD J1330+6435 located about 326 light-years from Earth. Space.com reports: The researchers found that some dead star white dwarfs can go a little green around the gills after snacking on orbiting planets. An example of this is WD J1330+6435, a cool white dwarf located around 326 light-years away, which has been accreting rocky material from a planetary companion. This has enriched its atmosphere with calcium, lithium, and sodium, and the team's model suggests this would have led WD J1330+6435 to adopt a green hue.
[...] The researchers think that no other star, living or dead, has ever been credibly reported as green. That makes WD J1330+6435 the first known genuinely green star. "The traces of sodium in the atmosphere of this white dwarf absorb the orange part of the spectrum, leaving behind a ghostly green glow," Hollands said. "Imagine standing on a planet and looking up at a green star. It feels like something out of science fiction." The researchers also discovered what may be the reddest star ever observed, the white dwarf WD J1011+2845, located just 48 light-years away.
The findings have been published in the journal RAS Techniques and Instruments.<p><div class="share_submission" style="position:relative;">
<a class="slashpop" href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Astronomers+Discover+the+First+Green+Star%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fscience.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F10%2F17%2F0011226%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a>
<a class="slashpop" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fscience.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F10%2F17%2F0011226%2Fastronomers-discover-the-first-green-star%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a>
</div></p><p><a href="https://science.slashdot.org/story/26/10/17/0011226/astronomers-discover-the-first-green-star?utm_source=rss1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p><iframe src="https://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.pl?op=discuss&id=24126170&smallembed=1" style="height: 300px; width: 100%; border: none;"></iframe>
[...] The researchers think that no other star, living or dead, has ever been credibly reported as green. That makes WD J1330+6435 the first known genuinely green star. "The traces of sodium in the atmosphere of this white dwarf absorb the orange part of the spectrum, leaving behind a ghostly green glow," Hollands said. "Imagine standing on a planet and looking up at a green star. It feels like something out of science fiction." The researchers also discovered what may be the reddest star ever observed, the white dwarf WD J1011+2845, located just 48 light-years away.
The findings have been published in the journal RAS Techniques and Instruments.<p><div class="share_submission" style="position:relative;">
<a class="slashpop" href="http://twitter.com/home?status=Astronomers+Discover+the+First+Green+Star%3A+https%3A%2F%2Fscience.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F10%2F17%2F0011226%2F%3Futm_source%3Dtwitter%26utm_medium%3Dtwitter"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/twitter_icon_large.png"></a>
<a class="slashpop" href="http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fscience.slashdot.org%2Fstory%2F26%2F10%2F17%2F0011226%2Fastronomers-discover-the-first-green-star%3Futm_source%3Dslashdot%26utm_medium%3Dfacebook"><img src="https://a.fsdn.com/sd/facebook_icon_large.png"></a>
</div></p><p><a href="https://science.slashdot.org/story/26/10/17/0011226/astronomers-discover-the-first-green-star?utm_source=rss1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p><iframe src="https://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.pl?op=discuss&id=24126170&smallembed=1" style="height: 300px; width: 100%; border: none;"></iframe>
Comments