Fomalhaut cs2 (VIDEO)
Caption
Hubble captured the violent collision of two massive objects around the star Fomalhaut. This extraordinary event is unlike anything in our own present-day solar system. The video shows the sequence of events leading up to the creation of dust cloud cs2 around the star Fomalhaut. In the opening frames, Fomalhaut appears in the top left corner. Two white dots, located in the bottom right corner, represent the two massive objects in orbit around Fomalhaut. These objects approach each other and collide, resulting in a huge debris cloud that initially resembles an exoplanet as seen in reflected light. Years later, starlight is able to push the dust cloud outward from the star.
Credit
Animation: NASA, ESA, STScI, Ralf Crawford (STScI)
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