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NASA Share an image that depicts what researchers say are the first observations of a large debris cloud heavenly crash.
In a study published earlier this month in The Astrophysical Journal, a group of astronomers led by the University of Arizona reported when a cloud of debris passed in front of its star and briefly blocked light, also known as a transit.
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Using their knowledge of star sizes, they were able to determine size From the cloud immediately after impact, estimate the size of the colliding object and record the speed at which the cloud spreads.
While retired astronomers use NASA Spitzer Space Telescope I have previously found evidence of this kind of collision around young, rocky stars planet These records are constructed and do not provide much detail of events.
Co-author George Rickey said in a statement. “All previously reported Spitzer cases remain unresolved, with only theoretical hypotheses about the true shape of events and debris clouds.”
The authors began making directional observations for a 10-million-year-old star called HD 166191 in 2015.
NASA said the team used the Spitzer Telescope to make more than 100 system observations over the next four years.
Around that time in a star’s life, the dust left over from its formation combines to form a small planet.
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As the gas that previously filled the void dispersed, the violent collision between them repeated.
This collision generated a large amount of dust and the telescope detected infrared light, which is ideal for detecting this dust.
In 2018, the telescope noticed the star system was getting brighter, which the agency said indicated an increase in its debris production.
In addition, the telescope found a cloud of debris covering the star.
The researchers found that the cloud was very rectangular, with an estimated area of at least three times the size of the star.
The telescope showed that the spilled debris was hundreds of times greater than HD 166191.
To produce such a cloud, NASA says the colliding object must be world of dwarves.
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In 2019, the clouds are no longer visible, but the star system contains twice as much dust as before.
“By looking at the disk of dusty debris around young stars, we can look back in time and see the processes that may have shaped our solar system,” said lead researcher Kate Sue. “In learning about the results of collisions in these systems, we may also get a better idea of how often rocky planets form around other stars.”
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