white dwarf
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Tweet n. The collapsed remnant core of a low-mass star that has ejected its outer layers and can no longer sustain nuclear fusion. White dwarf stars are extremely dense, having no empty space between atoms, but lack the mass to reach the even more extremely dense states of a neutron star or black hole. (click for a larger image) white dwarfwhite dwarf (spot in center) enveloped by planetary nebula NGC 2440 |
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