Astronomers have found a white dwarf star (SDSS 1228+1040) which appears to be surrounded by a truncated disc of gas and dust. The disc, which is arou

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Astronomers have found a white dwarf star (SDSS 1228+1040) which appears to be surrounded by a truncated disc of gas and dust. The disc, which is around 10 times the diameter of the rings of Saturn, was probably created from asteroids or planets which strayed too close to the white dwarf and were torn apart by its gravity. Using Doppler tomography, the astronomers have found that the disc has a spiral component to it.

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Photo credit: © MARK GARLICK/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
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Keywords: 1228+1040, art, artwork, asteroid, astronomy, debris, disc, doppler, dwarf, hot, planetary, pulverised, ring, rocky, sdss, space, star, tomography, white