Astronomers find 1st evidence of ice worlds beyond solar system
Astronomers have observed a white dwarf star, several hundred light-years away from Earth, munching on the leftovers of a Pluto-like world.
The debris is loaded with nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur, and carbon—proof that icy worlds exist beyond our solar system and can stick around even after their stars die.
Debris rich in nitrogen, oxygen
By studying the debris with ultraviolet light, scientists found it was about 5% nitrogen—the most ever seen in this kind of star—and had way more oxygen than typical rocky stuff.
Turns out, this object was mostly ice, with water making up nearly two-thirds of its mass.
How life-friendly ingredients travel across planets
This is the first time anyone's confirmed a white dwarf eating something so rich in water and other essentials for life.
It shows icy reservoirs can survive dramatic changes in their solar systems and helps us understand how life-friendly ingredients might travel across planets—even after stars reach the end of their lives.