by The newly-discovered white dwarf, designated ZTF J190132.9+145808.7 (ZTF J1901+1458), has a mass of 1.35 solar masses and a radius of 2,140 km (1,330 miles), only slightly larger than the radius of the Moon.
ZTF J1901+1458 is located approximately 130 light-years away in the constellation of Aquila.
The white dwarf is about 100 million years old, and has an extreme magnetic field almost 1 billion times stronger than our Sun’s.
It has a rotation period of 6.94 minutes — unusually short for a white dwarf, as white dwarf rotational periods typically are upwards of hours.
“ZTF J1901+1458 is heavy, packing a mass greater than that of our Sun into a body about the size of our Moon,” said Dr. Ilaria Caiazzo, an astronomer in the Division of Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy at Caltech.
“It may seem counterintuitive, but smaller white dwarfs happen to be more massive.”
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ZTF J1901+1458 is located approximately 130 light-years away in the constellation of Aquila.
The white dwarf is about 100 million years old, and has an extreme magnetic field almost 1 billion times stronger than our Sun’s.
It has a rotation period of 6.94 minutes — unusually short for a white dwarf, as white dwarf rotational periods typically are upwards of hours.
“ZTF J1901+1458 is heavy, packing a mass greater than that of our Sun into a body about the size of our Moon,” said Dr. Ilaria Caiazzo, an astronomer in the Division of Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy at Caltech.
“It may seem counterintuitive, but smaller white dwarfs happen to be more massive.”
Source
