A Zombie White Dwarf Star is Born Again. Hallelujah!
Object Sakurai — a white dwarf that underwent a helium flash in 1996 — became six times hotter over 30 years and turned into a [WC]-type star with a carbon-oxygen spectrum. VLT/FORS2 observations showed the star's temperature is 27–36 kK, and heating is slower than early models predicted.
- 30 years after the 1996 flash, Object Sakurai became 6 times hotter
- Star's mass is about 0.6 solar; it is not a true Wolf-Rayet
- Temperature estimated at 27–36 kK from VLT/FORS2 spectrum
- Star will become a white dwarf again after cooling
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