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Gravitational collapse
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===White dwarf=== {{Main|White dwarf}} The collapse of the stellar core to a white dwarf takes place over tens of thousands of years, while the star blows off its outer envelope to form a [[planetary nebula]]. If it has a [[binary star|companion star]], a white dwarf-sized object can [[Accretion (astrophysics)|accrete]] matter from the companion star. Before it reaches the [[Chandrasekhar limit]] (about one and a half times the mass of the Sun, at which point gravitational collapse would start again), the increasing density and temperature within a carbon-oxygen white dwarf initiate a new round of nuclear fusion, which is not regulated because the star's weight is supported by degeneracy rather than thermal pressure, allowing the temperature to rise exponentially. The resulting [[thermal runaway|runaway]] [[carbon detonation]] completely blows the star apart in a [[type Ia supernova]].
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