Astronomer Willem J. Luyten of the University of Minnesota is the world's leading small-star fancier. Last week he was beaming over the smallest star yet discovered: a "white dwarf," 25 light years away from the earth, which he found and analyzed with the help of Dr. E. F. Carpenter of the University of Arizona. The littlest star (Catalog No. L 886-6) is hot (15,000° to 20,000° F.), and it shines with a white light. But it is only 2,500 miles in diameter, not much larger than the moon.
In mass, however, the star is no midget. Astronomer Luyten figures that it...
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