Glowing Disc of Material around the White Dwarf SDSS J1228+1040 (IMAGE)

ESO

Glowing Disc of Material around the White Dwarf SDSS J1228+1040

Caption

This artist's impression shows how an asteroid torn apart by the strong gravity of a white dwarf has formed a ring of dust particles and debris orbiting the Earth-sized burnt out stellar core SDSS J1228+1040. Gas produced by collisions within the disc is detected in observations obtained over twelve years with ESO's Very Large Telescope, and reveal a narrow glowing arc.

Credit

Mark Garlick (www.markgarlick.com) and University of Warwick/ESO

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