The dead star is dismantling its planetary system on an unprecedented scale

How was the dead cannibal star found?

According to NASAfile data Hubble Space Telescope Other observatories are essential in diagnosing this cosmic case of cannibalism. The results help describe the violent nature of evolving planetary systems and could tell astronomers about the formation of newly formed systems.

This is the first case of cosmic cannibals in which astronomers observed a extinguishing star They consume both rocky mineral matter, possibly from a nearby asteroid, and icy material presumably coming from an object similar to that in our solar system’s Kuiper belt.

“We have never seen these two types of bodies accumulating on a white dwarf at the same time (…) By studying these white dwarfs, we hope to gain a better understanding of the still intact planetary systems”

Ted Johnson, student of physics and astronomy at the University of California

What exactly is a white dwarf?

The Container describe white dwarf It is “what is left of a star like our sun after it removes its outer layers and stops burning fuel through nuclear fusion”. The results are based on the analysis of materials captured by the atmosphere of Star G238-44.

What does the discovery of a dead star devouring its planetary system mean?

The results attribute the small icy bodies to colliding with dry and rocky planets on our planet Solar System and “ri” them. Billions of years ago, comets and asteroids are believed to have brought water to Earth, creating the conditions necessary for life as we know it.

Composition of the detected material on which it rains G238-44 This means that ice deposits can be common among planetary systems, said study co-author Benjamin Zuckerman, professor of physics and astronomy at the University of California. extinguishing star.

“Life as we know it requires a rocky planet covered with a variety of volatile elements such as carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen (…) conducted on hundreds of white dwarfs.”

Benjamin Zuckerman

Studying the white dwarf changes the theories of chaos!

evolution theories planetary system Description of the disappearance of star As a chaotic event, it begins when it first amplifies exponentially into what is known as red giant Then it quickly loses its outer layers, and collapses into a white dwarfa star With a mass similar to that of our Sun.

This process greatly disrupts the orbits of the remaining planets, and smaller objects such as asteroids and comets that get very close to them can be scattered like billiard balls and smash toward Earth. extinguishing star

this study University of California and the Container Confirms the true scale of the chaos, stating that within 100 million years after the start of its phase white dwarfthe star is able to simultaneously capture and consume material from the nearby asteroid belt and its distant regions.