Scientists find planet unlike anything ever seen before - and it was born in the strangest way
Astronomers have identified a unique 'second-generation' planet orbiting a white dwarf, composed of material from the star's death. This discovery suggests that such reborn worlds may be more common than previously thought.
Why it matters
Advances the field of astrophysics by identifying a new class of planetary formation around common stellar remnants.
World is made up of pieces of a dying sun, researchers believe
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Astronomers believe they have found a planet unlike any previously seen – and it is made up of the pieces of a dying sun.
They believe that it is the first time that we have ever seen a “second-generation” planet of this kind: a world made up of pieces of the dead star that it now orbits.
"Second-generation planets are worlds that form out of the material a star casts off as it dies,” said Jamie Williams, a PhD student at the University of Warwick, who led the research.
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