What dense remnant remains after lower-mass stars shed their outer layers?
Answer
A white dwarf
Stars with masses similar to or only slightly exceeding the Sun follow a relatively gentle path toward fading out. After exhausting core hydrogen and subsequently core helium (which fuses into carbon and oxygen), these lower-mass stars lack the necessary gravitational force to compress the core further and ignite carbon fusion. Consequently, these stars shed their extended outer layers, often creating a planetary nebula. The intensely hot, small, and incredibly dense core that remains behind, which no longer generates new energy through fusion but shines purely from residual thermal heat retained from its former life, is identified as a white dwarf.
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