TWO Earth-sized objects with oxygen-rich atmospheres have been discovered by British astronomers – but they are unlikely to provide homes for aliens.
The unusual “white dwarfs” located 400 and 225 light years away are the remnants of stars, not planets.
They are all that is left of massive stars that have consumed their nuclear fuel.
Theory suggests that large stars with seven to 10 times the mass of the Sun end their lives either as white dwarfs, or by exploding and collapsing into super-dense neutron stars.
Oxygen-rich cores are normally hidden from view by layers of hydrogen and helium.
