Astronomy
Hubble Data Hints at Planet Born After Star Died
A chemical clue in data from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope suggests this star hosts a planet that formed from stellar leftovers.
**Reported by NASA.** A chemical clue spotted in data from the Hubble Space Telescope suggests the white dwarf star HS 0209+0832 hosts a second-generation planet.
A white dwarf is the leftover core of a star that died. When a star like this dies, it blasts its outer layers of gas and dust into space. That material can later clump together into a new planet, which is what NASA believes is happening here.
NASA explains that this process gives the planet a very different chemical makeup compared to planets that form alongside their star from the original disk of material.
This matters because our own Sun will become a white dwarf one day. Understanding how planets can form from a star's remains helps astronomers figure out what happens to planetary systems in the long run.
The chemical clue was spotted by scientists combing through older Hubble data, the agency said.
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