Artist’s impression of the glowing disc of material around the white dwarf SDSS J1228+1040

This artist’s impression shows how an asteroid torn apart by the strong gravity of a white dwarf has formed a ring of dust particles and debris orbiting the Earth-sized burnt out stellar core SDSS J1228+1040. Gas produced by collisions within the disc is detected in observations obtained over twelve years with ESO’s Very Large Telescope, and reveal a narrow glowing arc.

Credit:

Mark Garlick (www.markgarlick.com) and University of Warwick/ESO

About the Video

Id:eso1544a
Release date:11 November 2015, 12:00
Related releases:eso1544
Duration:21 s
Frame rate:30 fps

About the Object

Name:SDSS J122859.93+104032.9
Type:Milky Way : Star : Evolutionary Stage : White Dwarf
Milky Way : Star : Circumstellar Material : Disk : Debris
Category:Stars

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