New research suggests that white dwarf stars, the remnants of stars like our Sun after they have exhausted their nuclear fuel, may be more capable of supporting habitable exoplanets than previously thought. This challenges prior assumptions that these stellar remnants are too dim and cold to foster life.
Computer simulations have revealed that rocky planets orbiting white dwarfs could possess larger habitable surface areas. This is attributed to the rapid rotation of these planets, which reduces cloud cover and enhances heat retention. The habitable zone around a white dwarf is much closer compared to a main-sequence star, leading to shorter rotation periods for orbiting planets.
These findings, published in The Astrophysical Journal, propose that there may be a greater number of potentially habitable worlds in our galaxy than previously estimated. This expands the scope of the search for life beyond Earth to include planets orbiting these stellar remnants. The research was supported by the National Science Foundation and led by Aomawa Shields, a professor of physics and astronomy at UC Irvine.