Warwick researchers identify white dwarf that appears genuinely green

The short version

• University of Warwick astronomers announced WD J1330+6435, a white dwarf that would appear genuinely green to human eyes, according to ScienceDaily.[ScienceDaily]
• Researchers attribute the green appearance to sodium in the star's atmosphere absorbing orange light, and the color was calculated rather than observed directly.[ScienceDaily]
• The team says no other known star has been credibly identified as genuinely green, while five of 151 nearby white dwarfs showed unusual colors.[ScienceDaily]
• The reporting does not describe independent verification; the results appear in RAS Techniques and Instruments, and WD J1011+2845 is only possibly the reddest documented star.[ScienceDaily]

Key facts

• University of Warwick astronomers announced the discovery of WD J1330+6435 as the first known star that would appear genuinely green to human eyes.[ScienceDaily]
• According to the researchers' calculations, sodium in the star's atmosphere absorbs orange light, giving it a green appearance.[ScienceDaily]
• The researchers say no other known star, living or dead, has been credibly identified as genuinely green.[ScienceDaily]
• Researchers used stellar spectra and a model of human color vision to calculate how white dwarfs would appear, since none is close enough to view directly.[ScienceDaily]
• Five of 151 white dwarfs within about 65 light-years of Earth had unusual colors, leading researchers to estimate about one in 30 white dwarfs could show an unexpected color.[ScienceDaily]
• The median color temperature of the nearby white dwarfs was approximately 6,800 Kelvin, corresponding to light that appears white to human eyes.[ScienceDaily]
• The findings were published in RAS Techniques and Instruments.[ScienceDaily]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.

• Astronomers discover a ghostly green star unlike any known beforeScienceDaily - Science