Astronomers have discovered a green star for the first time

Astronomers have discovered for the first time a star whose light the human eye would perceive as green, according to a study published in the journal RAS Techniques and Instruments.

We are talking about a white dwarf - a dense remnant of a dead star, like the Sun. Scientists calculated its color from spectral data, since it is impossible to see the object directly from Earth.

The researchers studied 151 white dwarfs within 65 light-years of Earth. According to the lead author of the study, astrophysicist at the University of Warwick Mark Hollands, the green hue of one of the stars is associated with the features of its atmosphere, which contains calcium, sodium and lithium.

“Ordinary stars can be predominantly orange, white or blue,” Hollands said.

The unusual colors of white dwarfs arise from the interaction of helium with impurities of other elements. Astronomers have also discovered a star that would appear pink due to its high concentration of carbon molecules.

According to Hollands, thanks to new observations, the number of white dwarfs with available spectral data could increase tenfold. This could help scientists detect other stars of unusual colors.

Earlier, NASA reported the discovery of a crater on the moon with a diameter of about 222 meters, formed after a collision with an asteroid or comet between April 11 and May 22, 2024. The crater was discovered by researcher Robert Wagner while studying images of the LRO orbiter. According to scientists, collisions of this magnitude occur on the moon about once a century or more.