Hubble Space Telescope captures a white dwarf star consuming icy remnants of a distant Pluto like world 260 light-years away (Photo: NASA)
A star is similar to our Sun and nearing the end of its life after its fuel is exhausted then it collapses into a dense white dwarf supernova remnant with gravity. Recently, the astronomers have witnessed a cosmic drama about 260 light-years away with observations of a white dwarf star munching up debris from an icy body like Pluto.
The Hubble Space Telescope was instrumental in witnessing this rare event by looking at the ultraviolet light from that distant star system, scientists detected the chemical fingerprints of a shattered world’s remains.
This observation provided a perspective into the makeup of a celestial object torn apart by the white dwarf’s extreme gravitational field an event scarcely witnessed in such detail.
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The analysis suggests that a bulk of this destroyed object contained ice with slightly less than two-thirds of the mass in water also detected were nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur elements typically found in comets and icy bodies of our Solar System.
This discovery paints a vivid picture of the Sun's far distant future when it is expected to become a white dwarf that might swallow icy objects at reaches of our system Pluto.
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The James Webb Space Telescope in contrast to Hubble, observes infrared light, allowing the scientists to study the star and the debris around it with such a fine-detailed study, they hope to peep into the life cycles of planetary systems and gain a better perspective on how water and other necessary compounds survive or perish under the extreme conditions surrounding dying stars.
This cosmic event not only gives insight into the violent last throes of stars but also serves as a preview for the distant demise awaiting our Solar System. The continued study of such events will further our understanding of planetary evolution and the survival of water and the essence of life as we know it.
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Disclaimer: Information based on current astronomical observations; future studies may provide updated findings on white dwarf stars and planetary debris.
