Astronomers discover white dwarf surrounded by two rings of planetary debris

Astronomers have discovered a white dwarf star surrounded by two distinct rings of planetary debris, offering new insights into what may happen to planetary systems, including our own, when their host stars reach the end of their lives.

The star, identified as J1328−1450, is located about 1,600 light-years from Earth in the constellation Virgo. Observations made using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in Chile revealed an unusual arrangement of dust and gas around the star.

According to researchers, the debris appears to form two separate rings, a structure not previously observed around any of the 21 white dwarfs known to have surrounding planetary debris.

The scientists believe that two relatively large rocky bodies may have survived the star’s transformation into a white dwarf and could be responsible for shaping the surrounding material. One of these objects may be roughly the size of Pluto, while the other is smaller.

Researchers say the discovery provides further evidence that some rocky planetary bodies can survive the dramatic changes that occur when a star exhausts its fuel and expands into a red giant.

The findings, published in the journal *Nature Astronomy*, suggest that the original star may once have hosted a planetary system. During its expansion, it likely engulfed some of its innermost planets, while more distant objects survived.

Over time, gravitational forces may have pulled some of these surviving bodies closer to the white dwarf, tearing them apart and scattering their material into surrounding rings of dust and gas.

Astronomers also found differences in the chemical composition of the two rings, particularly in their magnesium content, suggesting that they may have originated from different rocky bodies or from different layers of a disrupted object.

The discovery could offer a glimpse into the distant future of our own solar system. Scientists estimate that in about five billion years, the Sun will expand into a red giant before shedding its outer layers and becoming a white dwarf.

During this process, Mercury and Venus are expected to be engulfed, while the fate of Earth remains uncertain. More distant planets, including Jupiter and Saturn, are expected to have a greater chance of surviving.

Researchers say that, after the Sun becomes a white dwarf, surviving planets, moons and asteroids could also be pulled towards it and broken apart by its intense gravitational force.

They suggest that the newly observed system may represent one possible stage in the far-distant future of our solar system.