4 observatories together caught the "death siren" of another planet

(NLĐO) - A series of observation facilities primarily operated by NASA and ESA have detected the extremely frightening origin of an extraterrestrial signal.

Using a range of observational data from the Einstein, Chandra, XMM-Newton X-ray observatories and the ROSAT telescope, an international research team has identified the source of the strange X-ray signal from the Spiral Nebula: A truly terrifying planetary destruction event.

The Spiral Nebula – also known as NGC 7293, Helix, or The Eye – is a large planetary nebula located nearly 700 light-years from us in the constellation Aquarius.

A planet destroyed by a white dwarf star - Graphic image: NASA

According to Sci-News, since 1992, observatories have reported continuously detecting high-energy X-ray signals emanating from them.

Efforts to decipher this signal over the past 40 years have revealed that within the Spiral Nebula there is a white dwarf star called WD 2226-210 and a large planet, possibly the size of Jupiter or Neptune.

But now, scientists have discovered something terrifying: X-rays so powerful that even observatories as far away as those on Earth can detect them are the death knell for those very planets.

Spiral Nebula - Photo: NASA

This ill-fated planet may have initially been a considerable distance from the white dwarf but then moved very close to the dying star due to gravitational interactions within the system.

White dwarfs are the tiny remnants of Sun-like stars that have run out of energy, died, and become zombies.

Sometimes these cosmic zombies act like vampires, tearing apart and devouring matter from their companion objects.

WD 2226-210 is doing just that with its planet.

"The mysterious signal we're seeing could be due to debris from a broken planet falling onto the surface of the white dwarf and being heated to the point of glowing with X-rays," said Dr. Martin Guerrero from the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia (Spain), a member of the research team.

The tragic fate of the aforementioned planet may foreshadow the future of several worlds in our solar system.

According to the scenario considered most plausible by scientists, at the end of the Sun's life, it will burst into a red giant star, engulfing about three of its nearest planets: Mercury, Venus, and Earth.

Then, it will collapse into a white dwarf. It is quite possible that one day the closest surviving planet – Mars – will also be pushed close to this white dwarf and suffer the same fate as the planet inside the Spiral Nebula.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/4-dai-thien-van-cung-bat-duoc-coi-bao-tu-cua-hanh-tinh-khac-196250307110503742.htm