In recent observations from theWebb Space Telescope, however, the dust cloud had mysteriously vanished.
The new findings were presented Monday during the annual Meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Madison, Wisconsin.
This time, however, the star system didnt look all that familiar.
An artist’s impression of what the planet inside the disc of Beta Pictoris may look like.Illustration: ESO/L. Calçada
I was like, oh my gosh, the features are gone, Chen told Gizmodo.
And if it is, then what happened?
Thats relatively young compared to our own solar system, which is roughly 4.6 billion years old.
An illustration of the difference in the data collected by Spitzer and Webb 20 years apart.Illustration: ROBERTO MOLAR CANDANOSA/JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY, WITH BETA PICTORIS CONCEPT ART BY LYNETTE COOK/NASA
Therefore, the changes observed in Beta Pictoris were fairly significant.
The dust cloud was 100,000 times larger than the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs, according to the astronomers.
If this giant collision happens and theres a dust cloud thats propagating outward from the star, Chen said.
News from the future, delivered to your present.
NASAs Mars Rover Captures a Giant Dust Devil Swallowing Its Friend
Mmmm, dusty.
