Opened the first planet orbiting a white dwarf Bashny.Net

Scientists have always been confident that some white dwarfs still rotate the planet, despite the massive upheavals preceding the occurrence of such types of stars. However, it was impossible to prove the existence of such planets in practice... at least until recently. By the space Observatory Kepler astronomers have discovered a planet orbiting a WD 1145+017, located at 570 light years from us white dwarf.





However, we cannot say that this planet is in good shape. Unusual light of a dying star says that the planet is gradually destroyed due to exerted on it the gravitational pressure, leaving a giant dust cloud. Researchers believe that the planet came into its fatal orbit after a mass change, caused by the collision of the planets.

In the future we will surely witness more of such discoveries as the lesser light of white dwarfs does not prevent scientists to observe moving them around the planet. In addition, there is a chance (though small) that collisions can push some planets in the habitable zone. In this case, scientists will be able to explore worlds that can support life. In any case, it is now clear that planetary systems do not disappear only because of their stars nearing the end of their life. published

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Source: hi-news.ru