How does a white dwarf star glow for billions of years if all of its fuel is depleted?

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Apparently when our sun has lived out its entire life, it will pulse and fade away to a white dwarf. It will do this because it will have used up all of its fuel. That being said, since the Hydrogen Fusion is what creates sunlight with Photons, what is it that keeps the white dwarf it will be glowing? What creates the light then?

In: Physics

6 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

It is really really hot, and takes a really really long time to cool off.

Space is a vacuum, or near enough to one. There is no other matter to transfer the star’s heat to, so the only way it loses its heat is by emitting it as light, slowly leaking away its accumulated energy over billions of years.

Also, the more it cools, the less light it gives, extending its life even further.

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