Posted on by Evan Gough

Two White Dwarfs Merged Together Into a Single “Ultramassive” White Dwarf

An artist’s impression of two white dwarfs in the process of merging. Depending on the combined mass, the system may explode in a thermonuclear supernova, or coalesce into a single heavy white dwarf, as with WDJ0551+4135. This image is free for use if used in direct connection with this story but image copyright and credit must be University of Warwick/Mark Garlick

Astronomers have found a white dwarf that was once two white dwarfs. The pair of stars merged into one about 1.3 billion years ago. The resulting star, named WDJ0551+4135, is about 150 light years away.

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