This 'diamond in space' is the coldest star ever detected

This &#039;diamond in space&#039; is the coldest star ever detected

last updated 8 January 2015

Astronomers have identified the coldest dwarf star ever detected, and scientists are calling it a "diamond in space."

Phys.org reports that the Earth-sized star "is so cool that its carbon has crystallized," creating the diamond-like effect. "It's a really remarkable object," David Kaplan, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee who found the star, told Phys.org. "These things should be out there, but because they are so dim, they are very hard to find."

White dwarf stars have been cooling and fading for billions of years, and scientists estimate that the star in question is the same age as the Milky Way, roughly 11 billion years old. The new star also has a companion pulsar, which was originally thought to be another white dwarf star. The pulsar is the first object in its system to be detected and has a mass 1.2 times that of the Sun. (The white dwarf's mass is 1.05 times the Sun's.)