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In about 5 billion years, our sun will run out of fuel and expand, possibly engulfing Earth. These end stages of a star's life can be utterly beautiful—as is the case with this planetary nebula called the Helix Nebula. Astronomers study these objects by looking at all kinds of light. Credit: X-ray: NASA / CXC / SAO / Univ Mexico / S. Estrada-Dorado et al.; Ultraviolet: NASA / JPL; Optical: NASA / ESA / STScI (M. Meixner) / NRAO (T.A. Rector); Infrared: ESO / VISTA / J. Emerson; Image Processing: NASA / CXC / SAO / K. Arcand
This image of the Helix Nebula, released on March 4, 2025, shows a potentially destructive white dwarf at the nebula's center; this star may have destroyed a planet. This has never been seen before—and could explain a mysterious X-ray signal that astronomers have detected from the nebula for over 40 years.
This view combines X-rays from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory (magenta), optical light data from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope (orange, light blue), infrared data from the European Southern Observatory VISTA telescope (gold, dark blue), and ultraviolet data from GALEX (purple) of the Helix Nebula. Data from Chandra indicates that this white dwarf has destroyed a very closely orbiting planet.
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Image: X-ray clues reveal a star that may have destroyed a planet (2025, April 2)
retrieved 24 May 2025
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The Helix Nebula image reveals a white dwarf at its center that may have destroyed a closely orbiting planet, explaining a mysterious X-ray signal detected for over 40 years. This observation combines X-ray, optical, infrared, and ultraviolet data from various telescopes, providing new insights into the interactions between white dwarfs and nearby planets.
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Image: X-ray clues reveal a star that may have destroyed a planet
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