V886 Centauri
V886 Centauri (BPM 37093) is a variable white dwarf star of the DAV, or ZZ Ceti, type, with a hydrogen atmosphere and an unusually high mass of approximately 1.1 astronomical masses. It vibrates with pulsations that cause its luminosity to vary. Like other white dwarfs, V886 Centauri is thought to be composed primarily of carbon and oxygen, which are created by thermonuclear fusion of helium nuclei in the triple-alpha process.
When a star pulsates, observing its pulsations gives information about its structure. Based on asteroseismological observations it has been estimated that approximately 90% of the mass of V886 Centauri had crystallized. Other work gives a crystallized mass fraction of between 32% and 82%. Any of these estimates would result in a total crystalline mass in excess of 5×1029 kilograms.
Crystallization of the material of a white dwarf of this type is thought to result in a body-centered cubic lattice of carbon and/or oxygen nuclei, which are surrounded by a sea of electrons.
In Popular Culture
- Since a diamond also consists of crystallized carbon, the star V886 Centauri has been nicknamed Lucy after old human song Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.
See also
- WASP-12b, a "diamond planet"
- PSR J1719-1438 b, the crystalline remnant of an evaporated white dwarf
