How does a red giant become a white dwarf?
A red giant is nearing the end of a stars life. In human terms it is the stars old age. When the star has nearly used up all it fuel turning hydrogen into helium and helium into carbon and oxygen; the atomic reaction that powers this process makes the star blow out increasing it’s size. If the stars temperature at the stars core is too cold for this reaction to carry on, a tipping point is reached. The star will blow out it’s outer layers to form a planetary nebular, leaving the core behind as a white dwarf. This is the final stage in a stars life. The mass that makes up a white dwarf is about the same as the mass of our sun, but it is about the size of the earth. Check out the link below for more information.
