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White Dwarf

The dense, hot core left behind after a low- or intermediate-mass star expels its outer layers. White dwarfs are composed mostly of electron-degenerate matter and no longer undergo fusion.

Source: chandra.harvard.edu

APODs including "White Dwarf"

Shapley 1: An Annular Planetary Nebula

12/12/1995

Shapley 1: An Annular Planetary Nebula
Image Credit: Anglo-Australian Telescope Board / NASA APOD

This strange structure is what can result when a normal star runs out of nuclear fuel in its core. At that time, the center condenses into a white dwarf while the outer atmospheric layers are expelled into space and appear as a planetary nebula. This particular planetary nebula, designated Shapley 1 after the famous astronomer Harlow Shapley, has a very apparent annular ring like structure. Although some of these nebula appear like planets on the sky (hence their name), they actually surround stars far outside our solar system.