“A white dwarf is a stellar remnant composed mostly of electron-degenerate matter. They are very dense; a white dwarfs mass is comparable to that of the Sun, and its volume is comparable to that of the Earth. A white dwarf is very hot when it is formed, but since it has no source of energy, it will gradually radiate away its energy and cool. This means that its radiation, which initially has a high color temperature, will lessen and redden with time. Over a very long time, a white dwarf will cool to temperatures at which it will no longer emit significant heat or light, and it will become a cold black dwarf. However, the length of time it takes for a white dwarf to reach this state is calculated to be longer than the current age of the Universe (approximately 13.8 billion years), and since no white dwarf can be older than the age of the Universe, it is thought that no black dwarfs yet exist.”
Posted on: Tue, 01 Jul 2014 19:15:53 +0000
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