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4 votes
How is it possible for white dwarfs to have a lower luminosity than the sun even though it is much cooler?

asked
User Starre
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1 Answer

3 votes

Answer:

White dwarfs have an extremely small surface area to radiate this heat from, so they cool gradually, remaining hot for a long time.

Step-by-step explanation:

As a white dwarf cools, its surface temperature decreases, the radiation which it emits reddens, and its luminosity decreases.

answered
User Ziyad Godil
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7.6k points
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