The image above shows the Large Magellanic Cloud which scientists initially believed was home to J0439.8-6809, the hottest known white dwarf of its class.

(NASA Kuiper Airborne Observatory)

On the outskirts of the Milky Way sits a white dwarf described as the hottest known member of its class.

According to a report published in Astronomy & Astrophysics, the dead star known as RX J0439.8-6809 has a . In addition to its scorcher status, the white dwarf also features an atmosphere dominated by carbon and oxygen that is devoid of helium and hydrogen.

J0439’s temperature , according to Science Daily. Though it is still extremely hot, the dead star is already in its cooling phase; it appears to have reached its maximum temperature of 400,000 degrees about a thousand years ago.

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The star was first discovered more than 20 years ago as what appeared to be a bright spot in X-ray images, which indicates tremendous heat, Science Daily also reports.

Researchers previously believed that , the Large Magellanic Cloud, and that it was fusing hydrogen on its surface, according to Science News. They also thought it could have been a neutron star that was siphoning super hot gas.

Eberhard Karis University astrophysicists Klaus Wener and Thomas Rauch discovered J0439’s actual temperature, location and composition with the help of more recent data provided by the Hubble Space Telescope, Science News reports.

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