<p>Scientists using NASA's Kepler space telescope -- known as the K2 mission -- have spotted strong evidence of a tiny, rocky object being torn apart as it spirals around a white dwarf star.<br /><br />This discovery validates a long-held theory that white dwarfs are capable of cannibalising possible remnant planets that have survived within its solar system.<br /><br />"We are for the first time witnessing a miniature 'planet' ripped apart by intense gravity, being vaporised by starlight and raining rocky material onto its star," said Andrew Vanderburg from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts in a NASA statement.<br /><br />As stars like our Sun age, they puff up into red giants and then gradually lose about half their mass, shrinking down to 1/100th of their original size to roughly the size of Earth.<br />This dead, dense star remnant is called a white dwarf.<br /><br />The discovered devastated object formed from dust, rock, and other materials is estimated to be the size of a large asteroid and is the first planetary object to be confirmed transiting a white dwarf.<br /><br />It orbits its white dwarf, "WD 1145+017", once every 4.5 hours.<br />This orbital period places it extremely close to the white dwarf and its searing heat and shearing gravitational force.<br /><br />A research team led by Vanderburg found an unusual, but vaguely familiar pattern in the Kepler data.<br /><br />The analysis indicated a ring of dusty debris circling the white dwarf what could be the signature of a small planet being vaporised, the authors noted.<br /><br />"The eureka moment of discovery came on the last night of observation with a sudden realization of what was going around the white dwarf. The shape and changing depth of the transit were undeniable signatures," explained Vanderburg.<br /><br />"This discovery highlights the power and serendipitous nature of K2.</p>.<p>"The science community has full access to K2 observations and is using these data to make a wide range of unique discoveries across the full range of astrophysics phenomena," said Steve Howell, K2 project scientist in a paper published in the journal Nature.<br /><br /></p>
<p>Scientists using NASA's Kepler space telescope -- known as the K2 mission -- have spotted strong evidence of a tiny, rocky object being torn apart as it spirals around a white dwarf star.<br /><br />This discovery validates a long-held theory that white dwarfs are capable of cannibalising possible remnant planets that have survived within its solar system.<br /><br />"We are for the first time witnessing a miniature 'planet' ripped apart by intense gravity, being vaporised by starlight and raining rocky material onto its star," said Andrew Vanderburg from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts in a NASA statement.<br /><br />As stars like our Sun age, they puff up into red giants and then gradually lose about half their mass, shrinking down to 1/100th of their original size to roughly the size of Earth.<br />This dead, dense star remnant is called a white dwarf.<br /><br />The discovered devastated object formed from dust, rock, and other materials is estimated to be the size of a large asteroid and is the first planetary object to be confirmed transiting a white dwarf.<br /><br />It orbits its white dwarf, "WD 1145+017", once every 4.5 hours.<br />This orbital period places it extremely close to the white dwarf and its searing heat and shearing gravitational force.<br /><br />A research team led by Vanderburg found an unusual, but vaguely familiar pattern in the Kepler data.<br /><br />The analysis indicated a ring of dusty debris circling the white dwarf what could be the signature of a small planet being vaporised, the authors noted.<br /><br />"The eureka moment of discovery came on the last night of observation with a sudden realization of what was going around the white dwarf. The shape and changing depth of the transit were undeniable signatures," explained Vanderburg.<br /><br />"This discovery highlights the power and serendipitous nature of K2.</p>.<p>"The science community has full access to K2 observations and is using these data to make a wide range of unique discoveries across the full range of astrophysics phenomena," said Steve Howell, K2 project scientist in a paper published in the journal Nature.<br /><br /></p>