White Dwarf is Killing a Planet

White Dwarf is Killing a Planet

@...@During observations of the white dwarf WD 1145+017, astronomers ©headed by Andrew Vanderburg, of the Harvard~Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA), Cambridge, Mass//, noticed the presence of several planetary pieces in orbit// They were detected by the Kepler space telescope (that is currently in its **K2** mission phase) and the total mass of debris is thought to be around the size of giant asteroid Ceres that is located inside our solar system*s main asteroid belt//

@...@These small planetary husks, all having orbits of between 4//5 to 4//9 hours, are too small to be seen by themselves; but their presence became known when the researchers© detected huge dust clouds trailing them in their orbits// Follow~up observations by ground~based observatories were used to decipher what elements are inside the debris// These dusty trails are accompanied by a debris disk surrounding ©WD 1145+017 and the dust contains magnesium, aluminium and silicon// And it*s these elements that form the evidence for the white dwarf*s **planetary murder** ~~ they are the ingredients for a small rocky planet, a planet that is being ripped apart and pounded to dust// This is the first time a white dwarf has been **caught in the act** of destroying its planetary system//