Question

In 2023, a team at Caltech’s Palomar Observatory discovered one of these astronomical objects nicknamed “Janus.” Nonradial gravity mode pulsations explain the luminosity variations in one of these objects called HL Tau 76. Leon Mestel derived the relation between these objects’ cooling time and luminosity, allowing them to be used as galactic (10[1])chronometers. Very late thermal pulses cause the formation of these objects’ non-DA spectral class. Nonrelativistic analysis of these objects predicts that their radius is inversely proportional (10[1])to the one-third power (10[2])of their mass. (10[1])Novas occur (-5[1])due to accretion onto (10[1])one of these (10[1])objects (10[3])in cataclysmic variables. Mergers of two of these objects (-5[1])cause type Ia (“one-A”) supernovas. (10[1]-5[3])For 10 points, (-5[2])stars under ten solar masses end (10[1])their lives (-5[1])as what objects whose masses (-5[1])are bounded by the (-5[1])Chandrasekhar (10[1])(“CHAN-druh-SAY-kar”) limit? (10[6])■END■ (10[4]0[2])

ANSWER: white dwarfs [or white dwarf stars or white dwarves or WDs; accept pulsating white dwarfs, pulsating white dwarves, variable white dwarfs, or variable white dwarves; prompt on dwarf stars or dwarfs or dwarves]
<Other Science>
= Average correct buzz position

Back to tossups

Summary

2024 ACF Nationals2024-04-21Y2496%0%42%108.00

Buzzes

PlayerTeamOpponentBuzz PositionValue
Mitchell ShaddenTexasChicago B5110
Mason YuBrownIowa State7710
Rohan ShelkeBerkeley BHarvard8110
Forrest WeintraubColumbia ACornell A8110
Swapnil GargBerkeley AIllinois8410
Simon GorbatyDukeArizona State86-5
Rasheeq AzadNorth Carolina BMcGill9010
Alex AkridgeIndianaWUSTL A9310
John John GrogerColumbia BClaremont Colleges9410
Liam KusalikWaterlooStanford9410
Kushal AluruRutgersVirginia9410
Marcus Forbes-GreenToronto BPenn103-5
Gavin MarkoffVanderbiltChicago D107-5
Sky LiToronto AJohns Hopkins107-5
Shardul RaoMinnesota ANorth Carolina A10710
Adam FineChicago APurdue107-5
Gabrielle ClarkOttawaFlorida110-5
Neal JoshiWUSTL BYale B110-5
Yashodev VyasMinnesota BSouth Carolina11610
Yashwanth BajjiMichiganNorthwestern118-5
Andrew KelleyKentuckyChicago C123-5
Karthik PrasadCornell BTruman State127-5
Anirudh BharadwajPennToronto B12810
Sinecio MoralesJohns HopkinsToronto A12910
Fred GarveyTruman StateCornell B12910
Nermeen RahmanChicago CKentucky12910
Matt SchiavonePurdueChicago A12910
Arunn SankarGeorgia TechNYU12910
Bryan UgazArizona StateDuke12910
Andy YuMarylandYale A13010
Matthew SiffYale AMaryland1300
Nikhil ChellamNorthwesternMichigan13010
Shiv SeshanChicago DVanderbilt13010
Lydia TarekegnYale BWUSTL B1300
Tiffany ZhouFloridaOttawa13010