Sunday, March 30, 2014

Rocky Alien Planet Leftovers ‘Polluted’ White Dwarf Stars With Metal

Rocky Alien Planet Leftovers ‘Polluted’ White Dwarf Stars With Metal:

Artist’s impression of a massive asteroid belt in orbit around a star. Credit: NASA-JPL / Caltech / T. Pyle (SSC)

Artist’s impression of a massive asteroid belt in orbit around a star. Credit: NASA-JPL / Caltech / T. Pyle (SSC)
What’s with all the metals in the atmosphere of white dwarfs, those things that are corpses of stars like our own Sun? While before scientists had theories about levitating star layers that “polluted” the white dwarfs, new research shows it’s more likely due to rocky material. More specifically, material left over from planet formation.

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Read the rest of Rocky Alien Planet Leftovers ‘Polluted’ White Dwarf Stars With Metal (235 words)


© Elizabeth Howell for Universe Today, 2014. |
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