White dwarfs are dead stars like our Sun. Although they're no longer performing fusion in their cores, they're still hot and putting out radiation that could support life. A new paper calculates that a white dwarf could support planets in a new habitable zone for 7 billion years, providing the right temperature and radiation to support a biosphere. They're also small and dim, which makes it easier to study planets in orbit around them for potential biosignatures.

White dwarfs are dead stars like our Sun. Although they’re no longer performing fusion in their cores, they’re still hot and putting out radiation that could support life. A new paper calculates that a white dwarf could support planets in a new habitable zone for 7 billion years, providing the right temperature and radiation to support a biosphere. They’re also small and dim, which makes it easier to study planets in orbit around them for potential biosignatures.