Artist’s impression of bright exozodiacal light

This artist’s view from an imagined planet around a nearby star shows the brilliant glow of exozodiacal light extending up into the sky and swamping the Milky Way. This light is starlight reflected from hot dust created as the result of collisions between asteroids, and the evaporation of comets. The presence of such thick dust clouds in the inner regions around some stars may pose an obstacle to the direct imaging of Earth-like planets in the future.

Credit:

ESO/L. Calçada

About the Image

Id:eso1435a
Type:Artwork
Release date:3 November 2014, 12:00
Related releases:eso1435
Size:4721 x 2951 px

About the Object

Type:Milky Way : Star : Circumstellar Material : Planetary System
Category:Exoplanets
Illustrations

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