Ring-Bearing White Dwarf (Illustration) (IMAGE)

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

Ring-Bearing White Dwarf (Illustration)

Caption

In this illustration, an asteroid (bottom left) breaks apart under the powerful gravity of LSPM J0207+3331, the oldest, coldest white dwarf known to be surrounded by a ring of dusty debris. Scientists think the system's infrared signal is best explained by two distinct rings composed of dust supplied by crumbling asteroids.

Credit

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Scott Wiessinger

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