Scientists observe the collision of two exoplanets

A team of American astronomers recorded what could be the consequences of a collision of two exoplanets, according to NASA, citing the authors of a study published in the Astrophysical Journal.

collision of two exoplanets

The finding was detected in the BD +20 307 system, which has two stars and is located more than 300 light-years from Earth. A decade ago, masses of warm dust were sighted on it. Last year, the NASA Infrared Astronomy Stratospheric Observatory (SOFIA) monitored the object and detected an increase of more than 10% in infrared radiation, which emits warm objects.

The appearance of such pronounced changes in such a short period of time cannot be explained by known mechanisms so that the researchers assume that these variations would be indicative of a fairly recent clash between two planets.

“This is a rare opportunity to study catastrophic collisions(collision of two exoplanets) that occur late in the history of a planetary system. SOFIA’s observations show changes in the dusty disk on a time scale of only a few years, ”said the statement to one of the authors, Alycia Weinberger.

According to the team leader, Maggie Thompson, from the University of California, it is an event similar to the hypothetical clash between Earth and the planet called Tea, as a result of which the Moon formed.

«The warm dust around BD +20 307 gives us an idea of ​​how catastrophic impacts could be between rocky exoplanets. We want to know how this system evolves after an extreme impact, ”he says.

At the same time, astronomers do not rule out the possibility that the unusual accumulation of dust around the two BD +20 307 stars may have another origin that is still unknown.

«A catastrophic collision between bodies on a planetary scale remains the most likely source of excess system dust; however, the cause of its recent variation requires more research, ”says the study.

Source: Space.com


Shop amazing Alien Merchandise at our store, Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, And Twitter For More Interesting Content Also Subscribe To Our Youtube Channel. If you have faced any supernatural or unexplainable event then you can submit your own story to reach out to more people using our website as a medium.

Total
0
Shares
Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Previous Post

Binturong: A Strange creature that looks like a cat, otter, and bear

Next Post

NASA orbiter again failed to find traces of the Indian Vikram lander that crashed on the Moon

Related Posts