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Astronomers find first green star — white dwarf WD J1330+6435

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Neutral summary

Astronomers at the University of Warwick have identified the first star ever found that would appear green to the human eye. The object, designated WD J1330+6435, is a white dwarf — the dense stellar remnant left after a low- or medium-mass star exhausts its nuclear fuel and sheds its outer layers. Estimates of its distance range from about 280 light-years (The Globe and Mail) to 326 light-years (Olhar Digital). A star's color is normally set by its temperature, but white dwarfs break that rule: their atmospheres are so dense that even their rarefied parts rival Earth's water in density. As a result, they can glow pink, purple, cyan, yellow or green. The greenish-yellow hue of WD J1330+6435 is thought to result from the star absorbing rocky debris from planets that once orbited it, altering its atmospheric chemistry, including sodium content. Because no white dwarf is close enough for its color to be seen directly, the team, led by Dr Mark Hollands, calculated it from the star's spectrum — its “fingerprint,” produced when starlight is split by wavelength. The findings were published in the journal RAS Techniques and Instruments on October 15. Hollands said most white dwarfs “behave like the perfect radiators,” but the new results reveal unexpected diversity. The same work also identified the reddest star ever recorded. The discovery drew wide media attention, from Phys.org and Space.com to Serbian and Brazilian outlets.

How it was framed

Outlets: 26. Countries: 10. Facts in the shared core: 4.

Publication timeline

  1. · Phys.org (outlet profile)

    Green, pink and purple: Astronomers reveal the surprising true colors of white dwarf stars. University of Warwick astronomers have shown that white dwarf stars can glow in a range of colors, including the first star eve…

  2. · Naked Science (outlet profile)

    Астрономы впервые нашли зеленую звезду. Цвет большинства звезд зависит от их температуры. Но есть одна категория, у которой даже разреженная часть атмосферы плотна, как земная вода. Для них это правило нарушается: они м…

  3. · GB News (outlet profile)

    Astronomers at UK university discover first ever green star in history. Astronomers at a British university have discovered the first ever credible green star on record. Researchers at the University of Warwick have rec…

  4. · Heise (outlet profile)

    Erster grüner und bislang rötester Stern: Weiße Zwerge teils überraschend farbig. Bei keinem Weißen Zwerg können Teleskope ermitteln, welche Farbe er für uns hätte. Das ist nun anders gelungen. Und die Ergebnisse sind u…

  5. · УНИАН (outlet profile)

    В космосе впервые обнаружили зеленую звезду: белые карлики оказались разноцветными. Большинство белых карликов, находящихся вблизи Земли, все же имеют белый цвет.

  6. · Space.com (outlet profile)

    Astronomers discover the 1st ever green star, a cosmic zombie just in time for Halloween. Imagine if the sun could take on a spooky green glow for Halloween. Scientists have discovered that our star may go green if it t…

  7. · The Independent (outlet profile)

    Astronomers have just found the first green star. Here’s why it matters. White dwarves can actually come in a whole range of colours, study finds

  8. · Channel NewsAsia (outlet profile)

    Newly identified green star leaves astronomers amazed

  9. · Tanjug (outlet profile)

    Astronomi otkrili prvu zelenu zvezdu

  10. · Politika (outlet profile)

    Истраживање открило да остаци звезда могу бити розе, љубичасти и зелени. Астрономи су открили прву зелену звезду у историји

  11. · Blic (outlet profile)

    Spektakularno: Astronomi otkrili PRVU ZELENU ZVEZDU. Astronomi su otkrili prvu zelenu zvezdu u istoriji, a nova studija pokazuje da astronomska tela zapravo mogu da postoje u širokom spektru različitih boja.

  12. · N1 Srbija (outlet profile)

    Otkrivena prva zvezda koja sija zeleno – naučnici objasnili neobičnu boju. Beli patuljak koji svetli žućkastozelenom bojom mogao bi da bude prva poznata zvezda sa takvom nijansom.

  13. · Pink (outlet profile)

    Neverovatan prizor: Astronomi otkrili prvu zelenu zvezdu (FOTO). Astronomi su otkrili prvu zelenu zvezdu u istoriji, a nova studija pokazuje da astronomska tela zapravo mogu da postoje u širokom spektru različitih boja.

  14. · Dnevnik (Novi Sad) (outlet profile)

    Зелена звезда збунила астрономе: Како је могуће да свемир сија у овој боји?. Астрономи су открили прву зелену звезду у историји, а нова студија показује да астрономска тела заправо могу да постоје у широком спектру разл…

  15. · Insajder (outlet profile)

    Astronomi otkrili prvu zelenu zvezdu. Astronomi su otkrili prvu zelenu zvezdu u istoriji, a nova studija pokazuje da astronomska tela zapravo mogu da postoje u širokom spektru različitih boja.

  16. · The Globe and Mail (outlet profile)

    A green star has been identified by astronomers for the first time. It is a dense stellar remnant called a white dwarf, situated about 280 light-years from Earth

  17. · Аргументы и факты (outlet profile)

    Астрономы открыли первую в истории человечества зеленую звезду. Учёные нашли первую зелёную звезду, так называемый белый карлик, и самую красную звезду из когда-либо известных.

  18. · Terra (outlet profile)

    Estrela verde recém-identificada deixa astrônomos maravilhados. Pela primeira vez, astrônomos identificaram uma ‌estrela verde, registrando um denso ...

  19. · UOL (outlet profile)

    Estrela verde recém-identificada deixa astrônomos maravilhados. Por Will Dunham

  20. · G1 (outlet profile)

    Astrônomos descobrem primeira estrela verde já identificada; entenda o que explica a cor rara. Imagem artística da estrela anã branca WDJ1330+6435 14 de outubro de 2026 Mark A. Garlick/Universidade de Warwick/Divulgação…

  21. · Asharq Al-Awsat (outlet profile)

    Newly Identified Green Star Leaves Astronomers Amazed

  22. · Olhar Digital (outlet profile)

    Estrela verde? Anã branca surpreende astrônomos com sua cor no espaço. Uma anã branca a 326 anos-luz pode ser a primeira estrela verde conhecida; o sódio em sua atmosfera ajuda a explicar a cor incomum O post Estrela ve…

  23. · Folha de S.Paulo (outlet profile)

    Pela primeira vez, astrônomos identificam estrela verde. Astrônomos identificaram, pela primeira vez, uma estrela verde. Eles descreveram a descoberta em um artigo que saiu nesta quinta-feira (15) na revista RAS Techniq…

  24. · UOL (outlet profile)

    Pela primeira vez, astrônomos identificam estrela verde

  25. · Metropoles (outlet profile)

    Estrela verde: astrônomos acham, pela primeira vez, anã branca com cor rara. Estudo revela que descarte de material planetário alterou a química de anã branca, criando tom verde-amarelado único no universo

  26. · Sputnik Srbija (outlet profile)

    Астрономи открили прву зелену звезду. Астрономи су открили прву зелену звезду у историји, а нова студија показује да астрономска тела заправо могу да постоје у широком спектру различитих боја.

  27. · Semana (outlet profile)

    Una estrella verde a 280 años luz de la Tierra sorprende a la ciencia: este es el fenómeno detrás de su extraño color

Factual core

  • Astronomers have discovered the first known green star.
  • Astronomers have discovered a white dwarf with a rare green color for the first time.
  • The green color of WD J1330+6435 results from sodium atoms absorbing yellow, orange, and some red wavelengths due to high density, leaving a green-yellow glow.
  • Dr Mark Hollands, Warwick Prize Fellow at the University of Warwick, led the research.

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