This is CBS Eye on the World.

Here's John Bachelor.

White dwarves, the history of white dwarves, is a complex story and I need help.

So I welcome a professional astronomer.

This is Ken Croswell, the author of the Outcoming of the Heavens, searching for meaning in the

Milky Way.

The most recent one is Sky and Telescope magazine about the white dwarf, the history of the

white dwarf, which is very similar to the history of America because we go to 1783.

You will recall the Treaty of Paris that made America a sovereign power was the same year.

This is January 31st, 1783 and a very famous astronomer, English astronomer William Herschel,

points his telescope at 40 Eradani or thereabouts.

He's working on other stars, but it's 40 Eradani, that is the prize.

Ken, a very good evening to you.

What did he see?

What did William Herschel see?

Good evening to you.

Good evening, John.

Well, William Herschel was looking for double stars and he succeeded.

Actually, he more than succeeded when he looked at 40 Eradani.

40 Eradani is a faint star, just barely visible to the naked eye.

It's what today we would call an orange dwarf.

It's a bit cooler and smaller than the sun.

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