Last updated on March 16, 2014 at 6:03 EDT

Latest Patrick Dufour Stories

2007-11-21 13:00:00

Astronomers may have found another way that stars evolve Astronomers have discovered white dwarf stars with pure carbon atmospheres. These stars possibly evolved in a sequence astronomers didn't know before. They may have evolved from stars that are not quite massive enough to explode as supernovae but are just on the borderline. All but the most massive two or three percent of stars eventually die as white dwarfs rather than explode as supernovae. When a star burns helium, it leaves "ashes"...