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Dead star discovery shows what will happen to Earth when the Sun burns out
AOL.com • • science
Key Points:
- Astronomers using the Very Large Telescope in Chile discovered a white dwarf star, J1328−1450, surrounded by two distinct rings of planetary debris separated by a gap, offering rare insight into the fate of planetary systems after their stars die.
- The debris rings are thought to be maintained by two planet-like bodies, one asteroid-sized and the other moon-sized, marking the first observation of a complex double debris disc around a white dwarf.
- The debris contains elements such as calcium, oxygen, and magnesium, indicating the destroyed planets had compositions similar to those in our Solar System.
- This discovery provides a glimpse into the violent process by which planetary systems end, suggesting that while inner planets like Earth may be destroyed when a star becomes a white dwarf, some outer planets could survive.
- The findings, published in Nature Astronomy, help scientists better understand the long-term evolution of planetary systems, including the eventual fate of our own Solar System.
