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6 votes
1 answer
239 views

Why does a white dwarf sometimes go 'nova' and sometimes supernova (type 1a)?

Obviously, when a white dwarf goes truly supernova, there is nothing left, not even, I have heard, a neutron star or black hole... But when certain white dwarf stars accrete certain amounts or types ...
Kurt Hikes's user avatar
  • 5,585
1 vote
0 answers
53 views

How do I estimate the number of neutron stars and black holes relative to the number of stars in the main sequence and white dwarfs?

Recently, I had a homework question that gave me the mass of a main-sequence star, that is, M_tp = 0.9 M_solar, and the population formed at the same time. I am supposed to use the stellar birth ...
Casper's user avatar
  • 41
3 votes
0 answers
137 views

Uranium accumulating inside a White Dwarf?

A couple of days ago, there was news that "Some dead stars may harbor enough uranium to set off a thermonuclear bomb", which is basically a teaser for Actinide crystallization and fission ...
B--rian's user avatar
  • 5,657