Here is what the masthead, now archived below (and derivative image, at right) depict: a Pluto-like icy world, being shredded by its host white dwarf star -- and, an event much like what may obtain over 3 billion years from now -- in our system, after our Sun inflates, and burns Earth and the inner planets to ash -- it will collapse to be about the size of old Earth -- an exceedingly dense white dwarf. Here's the latest, from NASA (with a video explainer at bottom):
. . .Billions of years from now, when our Sun burns out and collapses to a white dwarf, Kuiper Belt objects will be pulled in by the stellar remnant’s immense gravity. “These planetesimals will then be disrupted and accreted,” said Sahu. “If an alien observer looks into our solar system in the far future, they might see the same kind of remains we see today around this white dwarf.”
The team hopes to use NASA’s JWST to detect molecular features of volatiles such as water vapor and carbonates by observing this white dwarf in infrared light. By further studying white dwarfs, scientists can better understand the frequency and composition of these volatile-rich accretion events.
Sahu is also following the recent discovery of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS. She is eager to learn its chemical composition, especially its fraction of water. “These types of studies will help us learn more about planet formation. They can also help us understand how water is delivered to rocky planets,” said Sahu. . . .
Now you know. Mystery (above). . . solved. Out.
नमस्ते
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