A white dwarf's mass is comparable to that of the Sun while its volume is comparable to that of the Earth.
The Sun is 100 times larger than the Earth, so a white dwarf has a mass 100 times greater than the Earth.
The maximum size of a white dwarf is about 1.4 times the mass of the Sun, known as the Chandrasekhar limit. If a white dwarf exceeds this limit, it can collapse further and ignite as a supernova.
It is true that a white dwarf above about 1.4 solar masses cannot exist. When a star dies, most of the mass does not become part of the remnant. A star 5 times the mass of the sun will shed most of its mass during the red giant phase. Only the innermost portion will collapse to form a white dwarf.
No. It does not have enough mass. Only stars 8 times the mass of the sun or greater can become pulsars. The sun will become a white dwarf.
Such a white dwarf could not exist. Above 1.4 solar masses a white dwarf will collapse to form a neutron star.
Yes, far smaller. A red dwarf is a whole star in and of itself. A white dwarf is the collapsed remnant of the core of a low-to medium mass star. A white dwarf may be about the size of Earth.
The upper limit to the mass of a white dwarf is about 1.4 times the mass of the Sun, known as the Chandrasekhar limit. Beyond this point, the white dwarf may collapse and explode in a supernova event.
a white dwarf
The maximum size of a white dwarf is about 1.4 times the mass of the Sun, known as the Chandrasekhar limit. If a white dwarf exceeds this limit, it can collapse further and ignite as a supernova.
It is true that a white dwarf above about 1.4 solar masses cannot exist. When a star dies, most of the mass does not become part of the remnant. A star 5 times the mass of the sun will shed most of its mass during the red giant phase. Only the innermost portion will collapse to form a white dwarf.
A white dwarf is the remnant of a low to medium mass star.
A Chandrasekhar mass is the maximum mass limit (about 1.4 times the mass of the Sun) that a white dwarf star can have before it collapses under its own gravity and triggers a supernova explosion. When a white dwarf accretes matter from a companion star or merges with another white dwarf, exceeding the Chandrasekhar mass, it can collapse and explode as a Type Ia supernova.
When the mass of a white dwarf increases, its size decreases. This is because the increased mass causes the white dwarf to contract under its own gravity, making it smaller and denser.
If a white dwarf gained enough mass to reach the 1.4 solar-mass white dwarf limit, it would undergo a catastrophic event known as a Type Ia supernova. This explosion would release a tremendous amount of energy and result in the complete destruction of the white dwarf.
No. A white dwarf is the remnant of a low to medium mass star.
A white dwarf could not become a red dwarf. A white dwarf is a remnant of a dead star. A red dwarf is a star with a very low mass.
Several times smaller than our Sun. Details vary, depending on the type of dwarf star (a red dwarf and a white dwarf are quite different things), and the exact mass.
A white dwarf, also called a degenerate dwarf, is a small star composed mostly of electron-degenerate matter. They are very dense; a white dwarf's mass is comparable to that of the Sun and its volume is comparable to that of the Earth.