LP 145-141 is a white dwarf in the southern constellation of Musca, the exposed core of a dead star and one of the nearest of its kind to the Sun.
At a glance
| type | white dwarf |
|---|---|
| distance from the Sun | 15.1 light-years (4.64 pc) |
| its light left it | 15.1 years ago |
| luminosity | 0.00029 × the Sun |
| radius | 0.012 × the Sun (8,350 km) |
| surface temperature | 8,500 K |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with.
About LP 145-141
A white dwarf is what remains when a star like the Sun has used up its fuel and shed its outer layers. What is left is a core about the size of Earth, packed so densely that a spoonful would weigh as much as a car. It no longer makes energy; it shines only because it is still hot, and it cools very slowly.
LP 145-141, also catalogued as Gliese 440, is a single white dwarf with no known companion, unlike Sirius B or Procyon B. Its surface is still hot, which is why it looks white, but it is so small that its total light is tiny and it needs a telescope to be seen.
What you see in the piece
From Earth it is invisible to the eye in the piece. Close up it is a minute white point, much smaller than the red dwarfs nearby but hotter, so its colour is the opposite of theirs.
Questions
How big is LP 145-141?
Its radius is 0.012 × the Sun (8,350 km), a little larger than Earth, yet it holds a mass comparable with the Sun’s.