Dying Star Creates Brand New Planet

What if a star’s death could give rise to an entirely new planet?

Astronomers revisiting decades-old observations from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope found an unexpected chemical clue around a white dwarf: niobium, a heavy element forged during the final stages of a star’s life.

Combined with observations from other NASA missions, the evidence points to an intriguing possibility: a Jupiter-sized world may have formed from material expelled when the star died.

If confirmed, this “second-generation” planet could reveal that the death of a star isn’t always the end of its planetary system. Sometimes, it might be the beginning of a new one.

For more information, visit science.nasa.gov/mission/hubble

Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Paul Morris: Lead Producer

Music Credit:
"Rousing Scenes" by Louise Bernadette Dowd [PRS] and Jeremy Noel William Abbott [PRS] via Model Music [PRS] and Universal Production Music

Video Credits:
Tracks Stars. They Look Like Meteors Video by NikitaMaykov via Pond5

Death Valley National Park Milky Way Galaxy Time Lapse Night Sky Above Telescope Video by Lovemushroom via Pond5

White Dwarf and Exoplanet Animations created by Chris Smith and Scott Wiessinger