Author: iamdefinitory

COOLING OF WHITE DWARFS: Over time, white dwarfs gradually lose heat and fade, eventually becoming cold and dark remnants.

ELECTRON DEGENERACY: The pressure created by the Pauli Exclusion Principle, which prevents electrons from being squeezed into the same state within a white dwarf.

CHANDRASEKHAR LIMIT: The maximum mass (about 1.4 times the mass of the Sun) that a white dwarf can have before it can no longer support itself against gravitational collapse.

DEGENERACY PRESSURE: The quantum mechanical pressure exerted by particles, such as electrons, that prevents a white dwarf from collapsing further under gravity.

WHITE DWARF: A small, dense star that is the remnant of a low- to medium-mass star, having exhausted its nuclear fuel and collapsed into a very compact form.

STELLAR EVOLUTION: The life cycle of a star, where red giants and supergiants represent advanced stages before the star’s final fate.

CARBON-OXYGEN CORE: The remnant core of a red giant after the star has expelled its outer layers, composed mainly of carbon and oxygen.

CORE-COLLAPSE SUPERNOVA: A type of supernova that occurs when the core of a massive star collapses under gravity, leading to a violent explosion.

SUPERNOVA: A powerful explosion marking the end of a massive star’s life, often involving a red supergiant.