A recently discovered exoplanet has vanished into thin air. Scientists are now claiming that the earth has not existed in the first place. Instead, the Hubble Space Telescope has registered the images of an expanding cloud containing foreign particles of dust.
The darkness was formed after a collision between two icy unknown objects that were spotted orbiting around the Fomalhaut system. All of these happenings are situated at 25 light-years from our planet.
The Fomalhaut system is viewed by the science as one of the most important research that has an enormous potential of bringing humanity one step closer to the formation and evolution of the exoplanets and the stars. Professor George Rieke is working at the University of Arizona’s Steward Observatory.
Exoplanet Fomalhaut b vanished due to a collision
The professor underlines that the scientists are aware of the behavior of collisions in the outer space, but it is for the first time to discover one situated at such a magnitude. This collision demonstrates how planets can eliminate each other.
Initially, the cloud of dust was thought to be a planet, which was named Fomalhaut b, being discovered back in 2008 with the help of data registered between 2004 and 2006. The questions raised when the scientists manage to see the brightness level of the so-called planet that was too bright for a world.
Astronomers have then suggested that the increased amount of brightness is called by huge rings that are positioned at its equator. In addition to this, other observations have shown that the planet is not following an elliptical orbit, as it would be reasonable for a planet.
Since exoplanet Fomalhaut b is situated in a location full of icy debris, the colliding bodies were made of ice and dust, measuring around 200 kilometers across. Moreover, such collisions are likely to happen on a fixed schedule in the Fomalhaut system, at 200.000 years distance.
