Astronomers Spot a Possible Second-Generation Gas Giant Around a White Dwarf
Astronomers have identified a potential second-generation gas giant orbiting a white dwarf star, suggesting planets can form from the debris of dead stars. The discovery, based on data from the Hubble Space Telescope, requires further observation for confirmation.
Why it matters
This finding challenges existing models of planetary formation and provides insight into the long-term evolution of solar systems.
A faint 4.4-day signal has raised an intriguing possibility, but researchers still need new observations before they can say what circles this stellar remnant.
Astronomers have found a possible candidate for a planet that may have formed from material ejected by a dying star. It is likely a gas giant orbiting the white dwarf HS 0209+0832, about 270 light-years from Earth. The findings were published in the journal Nature Astronomy.
The team analyzed observations from the Hubble Space Telescope and other instruments. They found unusual traces of heavy elements, including niobium, on the white dwarf’s surface. One hypothesis is that these are remnants of planetary material settling onto the star.
When a Sun-like star runs out of fuel, it expands into a red giant and then sheds its outer layers. What remains is a dense, hot core – a white dwarf.
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