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Today in History: Astronomers discover hottest white dwarf in Ursa Minor

1/27/2025

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Summary

Story summary

On January 27, 1997, astronomers identified H1504+65, a white dwarf in the Ursa Minor constellation, as having the hottest known surface temperature at 200,000 kelvins (360,000 °F). This discovery highlighted the extreme conditions of white dwarfs, which are dense remnants of stars that no longer undergo nuclear fusion.

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Story summary

On January 27, 1997, astronomers identified H1504+65, a white dwarf in the Ursa Minor constellation, as having the hottest known surface temperature at 200,000 kelvins (360,000 °F). This discovery highlighted the extreme conditions of white dwarfs, which are dense remnants of stars that no longer undergo nuclear fusion.