An international team of astronomers has for the first time detected thermal emissions from the collision of two huge icy planets that were in orbit around the sun-like star ASASSN-21qj.
About it writes Nature portal.
This research began with information from an amateur astronomer about the unusual behavior of this star, in particular its increased infrared brightness.
After receiving this message, scientists observed the behavior of the star for two years, studying its brightness changes at different wavelengths. According to the study, the most likely explanation was the collision of two giant icy planets, which led to the formation of infrared radiation detected by NASA’s NEOWISE mission.
Several years later, the cloud of debris created by the collision expanded and moved toward a point between the star and Earth, causing ASASSN-21qj to fade in brightness in the visible spectrum. The resulting observations correspond to computer models of the collision of two planets, each with a mass of up to several tens of Earth masses, at a distance of 2 to 16 astronomical units from the star.
Astronomers expect that the dust cloud will gradually dissipate in orbit in the coming years, allowing the consequences of such a collision to be studied in more detail using advanced telescopes.
Zoe Leinhardt, co-author of the study from the University of Bristol, notes that future developments in this event will be of significant interest. Ultimately, this mass of material could condense and create satellites that would orbit the new planet.
Cursor wrote earlier that according to astronomers, there are trillions of “rogue” planets flying freely in outer space, which are not tied to any specific star. Among them there are objects reminiscent of our Earth.
We also wrote that scientists suggest that another planet may be hiding in the solar system – the “twin” of the Earth.
