How an amateur astronomer detected the collision of two exoplanets

The work of non-professional science enthusiasts can also be useful in opening up new frontiers.

Technology not only helps us improve our lives and advance the development of civilization, but is also designed to communicate with others. Cosmic discovery, which we will talk about next, has a lot to do with it Advances in science and communicationThanks to a science enthusiast, a team of scientists was able to investigate Conflict A pair of exoplanets located far from our solar system, about 1,800 light-years from Earth.

An unusual event reported by an astronomy enthusiast

A The study was published in the journal Nature Exposes the invention of an astronomical fan and shows how Two ice giant planets They would have received collided each other and how they would have created a scene of dust and light after the cosmic crash.

Matthew Kenworthy And says one of the authors of the study University of Bristol websitehow did discovery:

To be honest, this observation came as a complete surprise to me. When we first shared the star’s visible light curve with other astronomers, we began observing it with a network of other telescopes. An astronomer on a social network pointed out to us that the star glowed in the infrared spectrum almost 1,000 days before the optical dimming. I knew then that this was an unusual occurrence.

For the first time, researchers have captured the afterglow of the largest interplanetary collision in space

This 3D simulation, created by Bristol PhD student Jingyao, shows the collision between two giant planets in a space system 1800 light-years from Earth. pic.twitter.com/WplKUx8mgy

— University of Bristol (@BristolUni) October 11, 2023

From here, a team of astronomers carried out A Observing the star’s brightnessKnown as ASASSN-21qj, for two years, it was detected as Mostly descriptive A that was A clash between two ice giants.

By NEOWISE missionWISE uses the space telescope to observe comets and asteroids, detecting infrared light from collisions between two exoplanets.

This groundbreaking research is a collaborative project with academics from around the world @uobearthscience with @UniLeidenNews, @uniofwarwick, @NASAJPL, @Caltech, @oeaw and many others.

Learn more: https://t.co/h1L73vkroW@SJ.Lock @JingyaoDOU_ac

— University of Bristol (@BristolUni) October 11, 2023

After three years they began to notice The star’s brightness decreasesA panel of astronomers assures Collision debris They were launched into space. And the observations will continue for years Dr. Joe Leinhart says:

It will be interesting to see future developments. Eventually, the mass of material around the remnant condenses to form a series of moons orbiting the new planet.