The D-6 Scenario: How a White Dwarf Explodes

Until around ten years ago, the prevailing theory held that a white dwarf siphoned gas from a nearby star until it reached critical mass. Then in 2011, the theory was overthrown when SN 2011 FE - the closest Type 1A found in decades - was spotted early in its explosion. Researchers shifted their interest to a new theory, the so-called D-6 scenario. The opportunity to test the scenario arrived in 2018 when the European Space Agency's Gaia Space Telescope released a massive new census of objects in the Milky Way.