Second white dwarf pulsar sheds light on star evolution

Astronomers have discovered the second example of a white dwarf pulsar, a rare stellar remnant that is spinning rapidly and lashing powerful beams of electrical particles and radiation at a red dwarf companion star. The pulsar activity is believed to be driven by strong magnetic fields, and studying the system could grant scientists new insights into stellar evolution. The discovery of J1912−4410 provided a critical step forward in understanding the origin of magnetic fields in white dwarfs, which can be more than a million times stronger than the magnetic field of the sun.