RE 0503−289

RE 0503−289 is a hot helium rich white dwarf. Optical and UV spectroscopy of this white dwarf gives a range of temperature between 60,000-80,000 Kelvin. It lies in a region of space with a low interstellar hydrogen density and close to another hot DO type white dwarf named RE 0457-281. A large variety of chemical elements have been found, many of which are heavier than the element iron.
RE 0503-289 was the only known DO type white dwarf detected by the ROSAT sky survey.

Composition

The search for the signatures of chemical elements above iron in RE 0503-289 started with the discovery of gallium, germanium, arsenic, selenium, krypton, molybdenum, tin, tellurium, iodine, zinc and xenon. The white dwarf has carbon abundances of about 1%. strontium has also been detected in RE 0503-289.