Odd white dwarf found with mostly oxygen atmosphere
Something stripped dead star of its hydrogen and helium, providing rare peek into its core
RARE AIR A newly discovered white dwarf has an atmosphere unlike any other — it’s loaded with oxygen. Hydrogen and helium dominate the atmospheres of more typical white dwarfs, such as this one (lower left) snuggled up to Sirius (center), the brightest star in the night sky.
NASA, ESA, H. Bond/STScI, M. Barstow/University of Leicester