# White Dwarfs Aren’t Just White. Scientists Discover Dying Stars Turning Pink and Green

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/white-dwarfs-arent-just-white-scientists-discover-dying-stars-turning-pink-and-green/
- Published: 2026-10-31T09:00:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-31T10:48:34+00:00
- Original publisher: Wired
- Original article: https://www.wired.com/story/white-dwarfs-arent-just-white-scientists-discover-dying-stars-turning-pink-and-green/
- Topics: Celebrity, Entertainment, Research, Science

## Key points

- Some white dwarfs shine pink, purple, yellow or green.
- Five of 152 nearby white dwarfs showed unusual colours.
- Dense atmospheres and planetary debris affect their light.

## Summary

Researchers have found that some white dwarfs, the dense remnants of dying stars, can appear pink, purple, yellow or green. The findings show that these stars are more varied in colour than their name suggests, and may help explain how their atmospheres reflect both extreme density and material left over from planetary systems.

The study examined 152 white dwarfs within 65 light-years of Earth; five showed unusual colours, implying roughly one in 30 may do so. Dense helium plasma can make trace elements such as carbon, calcium and sodium absorb light differently, while debris from shattered asteroids can enrich a star’s atmosphere. One example, WD J1330+6435, is about 4,000°C and appears light chartreuse; researchers say the hottest white dwarfs are easier to observe, which may have skewed earlier samples towards blue stars.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.