Exoplanet Collision

Produced by the Space Telescope Science Institute’s Office of Public Outreach in collaboration with NASA’s Universe of Learning partners: Caltech/IPAC, Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, and NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Video imagery:

·       Illustration, aftermath of exoplanet collision: Mark A. Garlick

·       Illustration, aftermath of a collision around the star NGC 2547-ID8: NASA/JPL-Caltech

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Text, News from the Universe. 

 

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March 15, 2024. Exoplanet Collision, Artist's Concept. 

 

Researchers have discovered the likely aftermath of a planetary collision. 

 

A fiery orange ring appears in a sea of red filled with small speckles of rocks. Text, Archival data from NASA's WISE mission revealed significant changes in the brightness of a Sun-like star. 

 

Something passed in between the star and us, creating an eclipse that lasted 500 days. A burst of light shines toward a molten sphere which produces fiery red and grey smoke as it tumbles through space. 

 

Text, Researchers see evidence that the eclipse was created by a huge cloud of debris, likely created when two exoplanets collided. 

 

The initial crash liquified the two planets, causing a spike in brightness, followed by dimming when the cloud of debris blocked the light of the star. 

 

This news was brought to you in part by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. 

 

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