#white dwarf

Keck Observatory data reveals a dead star still consuming its planetary system

Astronomers using data from the W. M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea in Hawaiʻi Island have identified a rare, ancient planetary system still being actively consumed by its central white dwarf star, LSPM J0207+3331.

Maui telescope used in study of hypervelocity star, found speeding across the Milky Way

A rare star in our galaxy is racing across the sky at an impressive ~1.3 million mph. With its speed and unusual trajectory, this L subdwarf could be fast enough to potentially escape the Milky Way. Located just 400 light-years away, It’s the first hypervelocity very low mass star discovered, and it’s also the nearest known hypervelocity star to Earth.

Rare ‘star’ predicted to blaze brightly in night sky will be visible to naked eye

The additional jewel in the Northern Crown constellation isn’t actually a star. It’s the light from an astronomical thermonuclear explosion caused by the buildup of pressure and heat in the binary system T Coronae Borealis, also dubbed the “Blaze Star,” 3,000 light-years away from Earth.

Hawai‘i Telescopes Used to Characterize “Smallest and Most Massive” White Dwarf

Astronomers have discovered the “smallest and most massive” white dwarf ever seen, a seemingly counterintuitive notion.