Some dead stars may harbor enough uranium to set off a thermonuclear bomb

[AndrewW]

A thermonuclear bomb might be ticking deep in the cores of some dead stars. A new theoretical study traces out how certain stellar corpses known as white dwarfs could accumulate a critical mass of uranium that would trigger a massive supernova explosion.

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/202...-harbor-enough-uranium-set-thermonuclear-bomb

Have the Darrians been at it again?

A rogue white dwarf is drifting towards a heavily populated system, can the Travellers prevent a catastorphe?

 

[Condottiere]

 

[steelbrok]

I get that the uranium can accumulate into a critical mass and fission can occur but surely even a big fission explosion is going to have minimal effects on a whole white dwarf?