White dwarfs can glow yellow, green, pink and purple, study finds

Researchers at the University of Warwick modeled 151 white dwarfs within 20 parsecs and found that dense atmospheres containing carbon, hydrogen, helium or planetary debris shift their color away from white. Five stars — two yellow and three pink — deviate from blackbody colors, suggesting about 3.3% of all white dwarfs are oddly colored.

• 151 white dwarfs within 20 parsecs (65 light-years) of Earth were modeled
• Carbon in the atmosphere turns white dwarfs pink or purple; hydrogen and helium give cyan or blue
• Debris from planetary systems colors white dwarfs green
• About 3.3% of white dwarfs glow in colors other than white