Illustration of Rocky Debris around a White Dwarf
Rocky debris, the pieces of a former rocky planet that has broken up, spiral inward toward a white dwarf in this illustration. Studying the atmospheres of white dwarfs that have been “polluted” by such debris, a NOIRLab astronomer and a geologist have identified exotic rock types that do not exist in our Solar System. The results suggest that nearby rocky exoplanets must be even stranger and more diverse than previously thought.
Credit:NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/J. da Silva
Image processing: M. Zamani and M. Kosari (NSF NOIRLab)
About the Image
Id: | noirlab2127a |
Type: | Artwork |
Release date: | Nov. 2, 2021, 9:05 a.m. |
Related releases: | noirlab2127 |
Size: | 12800 x 7200 px |
About the Object
Category: | Exoplanets Illustrations |
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17.8 MB
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