2023-10-21 08:30:40
This is how the collision between the two explanets could have happened. A hot, donut-shaped cloud of dust, a larger fragment and smaller debris remain after the crash. Image: Marc Garlick
Astronomers believe they have observed the collision of two planets in a distant solar system for the first time. That raises questions.
Planet collides with planet – that sounds like science fiction, but it is said to occur more frequently in young planetary systems. Now it has apparently been possible to observe such a crash for the first time. A group of astronomers led by Matthew Kenworthy from Leiden University in the Netherlands tracked a resulting debris cloud for several years.
It was formed when two planets collided with each other, whose original masses were between those of Earth and Neptune. At least that’s how the researchers interpret the data they collected with various telescopes on Earth and in space. Because they cannot see the cloud directly: it orbits a star around 570 light-years away and is only revealed by subtle variations in the starlight.
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