Astronomers Discover Disintegrating Exoplanet with Prominent Comet-Like Tails

Astronomers Discover Disintegrating Exoplanet with Prominent Comet-Like Tails

Using data from NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), astronomers at MIT have discovered a rocky exoplanet orbiting the bright K-dwarf star BD+05 4868A and observed variable transit depths that are characteristic of comet-like tails formed by dusty effluents emanating from a disintegrating planet. Unique to this exoplanet is the presence of prominent dust tails in both the trailing and leading directions that contribute to the extinction of starlight from the host star.

An artist’s impression of a disintegrating exoplanet around a giant star. Image credit: Jose-Luis Olivares, MIT.

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