Some white dwarfs die more spectacularly in vast supernova explosions if they get sucked into nearby stars. These explosions are so hot that they can create many of the elements in the periodic table. The spectacular death-by-explosions of white dwarfs generates what are known as type 1a supernovas. These all blow up at about the same temperature, so if you see one, you know how bright it is, and that means you can estimate its true distance. Type 1a supernovas allow astronomers to estimate distances hundreds of times farther away than Cepheid variables.
