Planetary collision near Gaia20ehk may mirror Earth's Moon formation
TL;DR
Astronomers have captured signs of a catastrophic collision between two planets orbiting Gaia20ehk, a sunlike star roughly 11,000 light-years away; the event, inferred from dips in visible light and a surge in infrared emission, suggests a planet-on-planet smash and may mirror the giant impact that formed Earth’s Moon, providing a rare look at planet formation and hinting Rubin Observatory could find more such events in the next decade.
Topics:top-newsscience#astrophysical-journal-letters#earth-moon#gaia20ehk#infrared-astronomy#planetary-collision#science
- Exceptionally rare sighting of planets colliding may shed light on the crash that formed the moon Live Science
- Astronomers think they just witnessed two planets colliding ScienceDaily
- 'Completely bonkers': Astronomers find evidence of a cataclysmic collision between exoplanets Space
- Astronomers Witness Aftermath of Catastrophic Planetary Collision Sci.News
- We May Have Just Seen A Planet Across The Galaxy Get Its Own Version Of Our Moon IFLScience
Want the full story? Read the original reporting
Read on Live Science