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Comet-Like Object Falling Toward White Dwarf (Artist’s Concept)

Comet-Like Object Falling Toward White Dwarf (Artist's Concept)
This artist's concept shows a massive, comet-like object falling toward a white dwarf. New Hubble Space Telescope findings are evidence for a belt of comet-like bodies orbiting the white dwarf, similar to our solar system's Kuiper Belt. The findings also suggest the presence of one or more unseen surviving planets around the white dwarf, which may have perturbed the belt to hurl icy objects into the burned-out star.

About the Object

  • R.A. Position
    R.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
    14h 27m 36.032s
  • Dec. Position
    Dec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
    +53º 48' 28.42"
  • Constellation
    ConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.
    Boötes
  • Distance
    DistanceThe physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.
    About 170 light-years (52 parsecs)

About the Data

  • Data Description
    Data DescriptionProposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
    Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.
    Datasets used for these results are from the HST proposal 13453, PI: M. Jura (UCLA), S. Xu (ESO), and B. Klein and B. Zuckerman (UCLA).
  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    HST>COS
  • Exposure Dates
    Exposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
    December 8, 2014, Exposure time: 3hr. 41min.
  • Filters
    FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
    Grating: G130M
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    WD 1425+540
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    White Dwarf Star
  • Release Date
    February 9, 2017
  • Science Release
    Hubble Witnesses Massive Comet-Like Object Pollute Atmosphere of a White Dwarf
    Read the release
  • Credit
    NASA, ESA, and Z. Levy (STScI)

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Details

Last Updated
Mar 28, 2025
Contact
Media

Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov

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