A white dwarf surrounded by a cocoon of gas
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NASA, STScI
White Dwarfs
When stars like our own sun die they will become
White Dwarfs. As a star like our sun is running out of fuel in its center it
grows into a red giant. This will happen to our sun in 5 Billion years. The inner planets, Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars will all be gobbled up by the Sun. After a few million years, the outer layers of the red giant will puff off. Leaving behind only the dead core of the star. This is the white dwarf.
A white dwarf is about the size of the Earth. It is very dense and hot. A spoonful of white dwarf material on Earth would weigh as much as a car. Strange, isn't it?
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