Astronomy
Why Do Some Stars Become White Dwarfs After Death?
Quick fact
A single teaspoon of white dwarf material weighs about as much as a small car—about 5.5 tons—because its matter is packed to densities millions of times greater than anything on Earth.
Why this is interesting
Our Sun will never become a black hole or explode in a supernova—so what will it become, and why does its fate differ from more massive stars?