Diamond in the Sky: Crystallizing White Dwarf Star Spotted in 'Solar Neighborhood'

The star, a white dwarf designated as HD 190412 C, is located in a known triple system some 32 parsecs (around 104 light years) away from Earth.

The core of a white dwarf star located in the relative proximity of our planet appears to be undergoing the process of crystallization, turning into what some media outlets have already dubbed a “cosmic diamond.”

A new study authored by a team of astronomers led by Alexander Venner of the University of Southern Queensland, postulates that star HD 190412 C about 104 light years away exhibits characteristics that place it “firmly in the parameter space predicted to be occupied by white dwarfs undergoing core crystallization.”

With the star being found in the “known triple system HD 190412” located in the “solar neighborhood,” the researchers thus proclaim HD 190412 C as “the first confirmed crystallizing white dwarf in a Sirius-like system.”

“Finally, we propose that the discovery of this system at only 32 parsecs suggests that similar Sirius-like systems containing crystallizing white dwarfs are likely to be numerous. Future discoveries may therefore allow for stronger tests of white dwarf crystallization models,” the researchers write.

Venner and his colleagues also expressed hope that the results of their work “will encourage further research for the purpose of identifying and characterizing new systems containing crystallizing white dwarfs.”