Van Maanen’s Star is the nearest solitary white dwarf, a cool stellar remnant in Pisces whose surface carries the remains of rocky material.
At a glance
| type | white dwarf |
|---|---|
| distance from the Sun | 14.1 light-years (4.31 pc) |
| its light left it | 14.1 years ago |
| luminosity | 0.00017 × the Sun |
| radius | 0.011 × the Sun (7,650 km) |
| surface temperature | 6,220 K |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with.
About Van Maanen's Star
Van Maanen’s Star is a white dwarf, the exposed core of a star that has died, about the size of the Earth. Unlike Sirius B and Procyon B it has no companion star, which makes it the closest white dwarf on its own. Adriaan van Maanen found it from its large motion across the sky. It has cooled for a very long time and now glows a pale yellowish-white.
Its spectrum shows heavy elements such as calcium and iron. In a white dwarf’s crushing gravity these should sink out of sight quickly, so they must have arrived recently, most likely from rocky debris, asteroids or the remains of planets, falling onto it. In hindsight its early spectrum was the first evidence of planetary material around another star, recognised only long afterwards.
What you see in the piece
Fly to it and you find a tiny, pale disc, far smaller than any of the red dwarfs nearby. In HUMAN EYE it is invisible in Pisces.
Measured or modelled
That the metals come from shattered planetary bodies is the accepted interpretation, inferred from their composition rather than seen directly.
Questions
What is the nearest white dwarf on its own?
Van Maanen’s Star, 14.1 light-years (4.31 pc) away, with a radius of 0.011 × the Sun (7,650 km).