White Dwarf Pdf Vk Info
The formation of a white dwarf is a complex process that involves the shedding of a star's outer layers during the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) phase of its evolution. As a star like our Sun ages and runs out of hydrogen to fuse into helium in its core, it expands into a red giant. Later, helium fusion ignites in a shell around the core, leading to a thermally pulsating phase. During this phase, the star loses a significant portion of its mass through stellar winds. Once the helium shell flash ends, and the star has lost sufficient mass, it contracts to form a white dwarf.