White dwarf star measurements bring Milky Way into focus
Thursday, May 31, 2012 - 16:35
in Astronomy & Space
A study uses a new technique for calculating the masses and ages of old stars based on the masses of the white dwarfs they have become.White dwarf stars are dying stars — burned-out cinders that have exhausted the hydrogen that sustains them. But scientists may soon count on these stellar flameouts to unravel the history of the Milky Way.