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Astronomers Explain White Dwarf Colors From Polluting Debris

By Drooid · Oct 31, 2026 · How we work

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British astronomers at the University of Warwick identified the green-appearing white dwarf WD J1330+6435.
They linked the green hue to sodium-rich rocky debris that absorbs orange light in the star’s dense atmosphere.
The team also detected white dwarfs with pink, purple, cyan and yellow shades caused by different chemical pollutants.
They converted spectra into human-visible palettes, showing that colors depend on atmospheric composition, not just temperature.

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British astronomers at the University of Warwick identified the green-appearing white dwarf WD J1330+6435.
They linked the green hue to sodium-rich rocky debris that absorbs orange light in the star’s dense atmosphere.
The team also detected white dwarfs with pink, purple, cyan and yellow shades caused by different chemical pollutants.
They converted spectra into human-visible palettes, showing that colors depend on atmospheric composition, not just temperature.