Astronomers discover a ghostly green star unlike any known before

Astronomers have uncovered a surprising rainbow of dead stars, including the first known star that would appear genuinely green to human eyes. Researchers found that white dwarfs can glow in unexpected shades of pink, purple, yellow, and cyan because of unusual chemical interactions in their extremely dense atmospheres. Astronomers discover a ghostly green star unlike any known before.

Astronomers discover a ghostly green star unlike any known before Science News from research organizations Astronomers discover a ghostly green star unlike any known before Astronomers have discovered the first known green star, revealing a hidden rainbow of dead stars glowing in colors once thought impossible. The immense atmospheric density causes the sodium to absorb light over broad range of yellow, orange, and red wavelengths, giving the WDJ1330+6435 a ghostly green appearance. Among their findings is the first known star that would appear genuinely green to the human eye.

For most stars, color is closely tied to temperature. Cooler stars appear orange, stars like our Sun look white, and the hottest stars shine pale blue. The relationship is similar to heating a piece of iron, which changes from red to orange and eventually white as its temperature rises.

White dwarfs, the extremely dense remains of stars similar to our Sun, were long believed to follow this same pattern.