Astronomers find white dwarf stars come in a range of colours, including a possible green glow

Summary

Astronomers analysing light from white dwarf stars have found that these dim, dense remnants are not uniformly white. Nature reports that analysis of some nearby stars shows they can be pink, yellow and more. Smithsonian Magazine reports that, because white dwarfs are too far away to be observed directly, scientists reconstructed how they would look to human eyes from the wavelengths of light they emit. The reconstruction found a colourful array of objects that might appear yellow, purple or pink, and identified a star that might glow green.

Timeline

1. Nature

   21 Oct 2026, 00:00 UTCSource ↗

   Nature reports that analysis of some nearby stars shows that, despite their name, white dwarfs can be pink, yellow and more.

2. Smithsonian Magazine

   21 Oct 2026, 14:00 UTCSource ↗

   Smithsonian Magazine reports that astronomers reconstructed how white dwarfs would look to human eyes from their emitted light, finding a colourful array that might appear yellow, purple or pink, and identifying a star that might glow green.