Scientists compute death throes of white dwarf star in 3D

An image from a computer simulation of an exploding white dwarf star. The orange represents the flame that nuclear ash follows as it pops out of the star, while the blue approximately marks the surface of the star. The star is approximately the size of the Earth, but contains a mass greater than the sun's. The image comes from a simulation that will be presented at the "Paths to Exploding Stars" conference on March 22 in Santa Barbara, Calif., by University of Chicago scientists. Credit: Cal Jordan/University of Chicago Flash Team