Suggested Searches

 

1 min read

Material Accreting onto the White Dwarf G238-44

Illustration of a close-up view of the white dwarf system. A tiny star lies at the center, surrounded by a faint disk of material. Rocky-metallic bodies are shown falling into the star.

This illustration shows a white dwarf star siphoning off debris from shattered objects in a planetary system. The Hubble Space Telescope detects the spectral signature of the vaporized debris that revealed a combination of rocky-metallic and icy material, the ingredients of planets. The findings help describe the violent nature of evolved planetary systems and the composition of its disintegrating bodies.

  • Release Date
    June 15, 2022
  • Science Release
    Dead Star Caught Ripping Up Planetary System
    Read the release
  • Credit
    NASA, ESA, Joseph Olmsted (STScI)

Downloads

  • Full Res, 3840 × 2160
    tif (10.59 MB)
  • Full Res, 3840 × 2160
    jpg (1.37 MB)
  • 1920 × 1080
    jpg (509.91 KB)

Related Images & Videos

The illustration is set against a black background. Toward the left is a tiny white dwarf star surrounded by a spiral arm that runs counter clockwise. This speckled material is labeled infalling asteroids. This arm expands into a speckled circle, which is labeled asteroids. Two labeled gas giant planets exist toward the middle of the frame, along with two labeled comets. At right is another speckled area, labeled icy bodies.

Layout of the White Dwarf System G238-44

This illustrated diagram of the planetary system G238-44 traces its destruction. The tiny white dwarf star is at the center of the action. A very faint accretion disk is made up of the pieces of shattered bodies falling onto the white dwarf. The remaining asteroids and planetary...

Share

Details

Last Updated
Mar 28, 2025
Contact
Media

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

Related Terms

Keep Exploring

Discover More Topics From NASA

Hubble Space Telescope

Since its 1990 launch, the Hubble Space Telescope has changed our fundamental understanding of the universe.

Hubble Science Highlights

Hubble Images

Hubble News