The White Dwarf Luminosity and the History of Star Formation in the Galaxy

White dwarfs are the compact stellar cores left after the ejection of the surface layers in the final stages of evolution of 1-7 solar mass stars. After formation they cool at a well-defined rate and their temperature and brightness reflects their age. White dwarfs formed in the earliest stages of the galaxy are very faint but still visible, white dwarfs thus comprise a continuous record of the star formation history of the Milky Way. The SkyMapper survey will identify white dwarfs in unprecedented numbers. We will compare the white dwarf colours, brightnesses and numbers with models of the star formation history of the disk and halo thus providing great insight into the star formation history of the Milky Way.