# Astronomers find first green star

> Scientists discover cosmic zombie star turns green just in time for Halloween.
- Title: Astronomers find first green star · Space | Shortify
- Summary: Scientists discover cosmic zombie star turns green just in time for Halloween. White dwarf WD J1330+6435 glows green after eating planets, becoming first…
- Keywords: white dwarf, wd j1330+6435, green star, cosmic zombie, planetary debris, astronomy, science, Astronomers, find, first, green, star
- Source: Space — https://space.com/astronomy/stars/astronomers-discover-the-1st-ever-green-star-a-cosmic-zombie-just-in-time-for-halloween
- Published: 2026-10-15T20:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: white dwarf, wd j1330+6435, green star, cosmic zombie, planetary debris, astronomy, science
## Green star discovery
Scientists found the first green star, a white dwarf that glows green after eating planets.

> Most stars, including most white dwarfs, behave like 'perfect radiators,' so their color is set almost entirely by temperature.
## Why stars turn green
White dwarfs glow green when they absorb calcium, lithium, and sodium from consumed planets.

> The traces of sodium in the atmosphere of this white dwarf absorb the orange part of the spectrum, leaving behind a ghostly green glow.
## First green star
WD J1330+6435 is the first known green star, 326 light-years from Earth.

> This has enriched its atmosphere with calcium, lithium, and sodium, and the team's model suggests this would have led WD J1330+6435 to adopt a green hue.
## Cosmic zombie effect
White dwarfs that eat planets turn green, like cosmic zombies consuming rocky companions.

> Imagine standing on a planet and looking up at a green star. It feels like something out of science fiction.
## Reddest star found
White dwarf WD J1011+2845 is the reddest star, 48 light-years from Earth.

> This white dwarf has a deep convection zone that carries carbon from its core to its surface.
## Color rules broken
White dwarfs can glow green, pink, cyan, yellow, or purple depending on their chemical makeup.

> White dwarfs abundant in carbon should be pink or purple, while those that have been enriched with debris from consumed asteroids and comets would take a more yellow hue.
## Rare green stars
Only one in 30 white dwarfs in the universe has an unusual color.

> One in thirty might not sound like a huge fraction, but across the entire population of white dwarfs in the universe, that is still a lot of oddly colored stars out there.
## Research published
The study was published in RAS Techniques and Instruments on Oct 14.

> The team's research was published on Thursday (Oct. 14) in the journal RAS Techniques and Instruments.
## Key takeaway

White dwarf WD J1330+6435 glows green after eating planets, becoming first known green star.