charlie85 said:i have four books on the topic but all seem to differ from each other when it comes to the actual equations.
A white dwarf is a small, dense, and extremely hot star that is the end stage of stellar evolution for most stars. It is formed when a star runs out of nuclear fuel and collapses under its own gravity.
White dwarfs have a typical size range of 0.01 to 0.1 times the size of our Sun. This means that they are relatively small and compact compared to other types of stars.
White dwarfs are mainly composed of carbon and oxygen, with smaller amounts of helium and other elements. The core of a white dwarf is extremely dense, with a mass of 1.4 times that of our Sun packed into a sphere the size of Earth.
White dwarfs evolve by gradually cooling and dimming over billions of years. As they cool, they also shrink in size. Eventually, they will become so cold and dim that they will no longer emit any visible light, becoming what is known as a black dwarf.
Yes, under certain conditions, white dwarfs can undergo a supernova explosion. This typically occurs when a white dwarf accretes material from a companion star, causing it to reach a critical mass and explode. These explosions are known as Type Ia supernovae and are important for measuring the expansion rate of the universe.