Scientists believe the massive explosion 1,800 light-years away was the result of a collision between two planets. It would be the first time that a planetary collision has been witnessed in this way.
Finn Arttu Sainio’s observation launched a research that lasted almost two years. image sport
Imagine that the planets Uranus and Neptune in our own solar system collided with each other. A very similar event is the subject of the observation, for which the credit belongs to a Finnish star enthusiast To Arttu Sainio.
Sainio is part of an international group of researchers studying the star ASASSN-21qj, which is located 1,800 light-years away from us. NASA’s space telescope has been collecting data on the star in question for a few years now.
The surprising dimming raised questions
of The Guardian according to Sainio, it was Sainio from the research team who first drew attention to the images taken by the telescope, in which ASASSN-21qj seemed to dim unexpectedly.
The data collected by the infrared telescope, on the other hand, looked like the star had brightened significantly about 2.5 years before its surprising dimming.
An observation made by Sainio in December 2021 triggered a study, the results of which were published this week In the journal Nature.
A planetary collision
According to the researchers, the surprising dimming was the result of a cloud of dust created by the collision of planets the size of Neptune and Uranus orbiting the star.
According to the researchers, the brightening observed at infrared wavelengths was caused by the collision of planets orbiting the star and the subsequent considerable heat.
– This is the first time we have witnessed the afterglow of such a collision, research assistant professor Simon Lock tells.
Watch an illustrative animated video of the collision of the planets below.
Sources: Nature, The Guardian, NASA