Saturday Morning Physics | Surviving the Death of a Star: Life on Planets Orbiting White Dwarfs

When stars like the Sun die, they leave behind stellar remnants that we call white dwarfs. Usually, when we think about life in planetary systems, we think about it existing on planets orbiting stars like the Sun – but in this talk, I’ll explore how planets can survive the death of their stars and whether oceans (and potentially life) could exist on planets orbiting around white dwarfs. I’ll explain the physics of tidal heating, planetary migration, and how telescopes like the James Webb Space Telescope could one day detect signs of life in these unlikely worlds.

We celebrate the Pulikeshi Dayalu Family Astrophysics Fund on this particular Saturday!

Hybrid Lecture and Q&A will be live-streamed on: https://myumi.ch/rA5xG