In what manner does an isolated white dwarf generate energy?

Answer 1

Low to medium mass Stars will become white dwarfs, where the mass is up to 8 solar masses (8 times the mass of our sun).

There are two types of white dwarf stars;

- low mass stars with a solar mass less than 0.5 will become helium white dwarfs. The temperature of these will not be high enough to fuse helium into carbon.

- low to medium stars with a solar mass between 0.5 and 8 will become Carbon-Oxygen white dwarfs.

Any star larger than 8 solar masses cannot become a white dwarf.

Answer 2

An isolated white dwarf generates energy through residual heat left over from its formation and through a process called nuclear fusion, where it slowly cools over billions of years. As it cools, the white dwarf releases this stored thermal energy as light and heat.

Answer 3

Normally, when a lower mass star (like the Sun) runs out of fuel, it collapses (it may expand briefly into a red giant first). The collapse heats the star up, which is where the "white" part comes from.

Answer 4

This happens when the star no longer produces (or rather, converts) energy through nuclear fusion - that is, when it runs out of fuel. Before this happens, the gravitational force is countered by gas pressure, but also by radiation pressure. When there is no longer enough radiation, gas pressure by itself is not alone to keep the star from collapsing into a white dwarf.

Answer 5

Exactly the same way a white hot piece of steel become cool enough to handle.

The energy or heat, is radiated into space over a long period of time. When there is no heat or energy left in the stellar remnant, it becomes a black dwarf, or another cold piece of rock floating around the Universe.

Answer 6

That's the energy reserves of the white dwarf - the leftovers of when it was still producig energy from nuclear fusion, and also, the result of the star collapsing. It no longer produces energy, and will gradually cool down, becoming (after a very, very long time) a "black dwarf".

That's the energy reserves of the white dwarf - the leftovers of when it was still producig energy from nuclear fusion, and also, the result of the star collapsing. It no longer produces energy, and will gradually cool down, becoming (after a very, very long time) a "black dwarf".

That's the energy reserves of the white dwarf - the leftovers of when it was still producig energy from nuclear fusion, and also, the result of the star collapsing. It no longer produces energy, and will gradually cool down, becoming (after a very, very long time) a "black dwarf".

That's the energy reserves of the white dwarf - the leftovers of when it was still producig energy from nuclear fusion, and also, the result of the star collapsing. It no longer produces energy, and will gradually cool down, becoming (after a very, very long time) a "black dwarf".

Answer 7

A planetary nebula is the shell of a red giant, and the white dwarf is the core. As the red giant expands, the shell was blown into the space and became planetary nebula. After the formation of the planetary nebula, the hot core of the red giant was exposed and became a white dwarf.

Answer 8

That's the energy reserves of the white dwarf - the leftovers of when it was still producig energy from nuclear fusion, and also, the result of the star collapsing. It no longer produces energy, and will gradually cool down, becoming (after a very, very long time) a "black dwarf".

Answer 9

The star shrinks as gravity pulls it in, but it gets hotter and denser. This is how it becomes a white dwarf.

Answer 10

An 8 solar mass star can become a stable white dwarf when it reaches a diameter of 100 km. The star has to implode and the core material that is left after the collapse is the white dwarf.