Astronomers find 2 debris rings around white dwarf WD J1328-1450
Astronomers just found two rings of space debris circling a white dwarf star called WD J1328-1450, about 1,600 light-years away.
What's cool? These rings are probably being held together by two leftover planetesimals (one might even be Pluto-sized).
The discovery, published in Nature Astronomy, gives us a peek at what happens to planets and space rocks after their stars die.
VLT X-shooter detects differing ring speeds
Using the X-shooter instrument on the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope in Chile, scientists detected unique signatures showing the rings moving at different speeds.
They also spotted elements like magnesium in the debris, hinting at one asteroid-like body and another as big as Pluto.
This find helps us understand how planetary systems like ours might look long after their suns burn out.