Unprecedented Discovery: Collision of Giant Ice Planets Unveiled 1850 Light-Years Away
Scientists have observed a rare event: the aftermath of a massive planetary collision around a star located 1850 light-years away. The collision likely involved two Neptune/mini-Neptune exoplanets, creating a synestia, a puffy ring of debris around a joint planetary core. The resulting debris cloud periodically blocks the parent star's light, causing dimming events. The infrared afterglow from the synestia is expected to persist for centuries. Over time, a single giant world with a rich lunar system is expected to emerge from this collision.