On October 12, 2023, astronomers made a revolutionary discovery when they recorded the collision of two considerable planets in a distant star system for the first time. Scientists could see the consequences of this monumental collision by observing the light that remained after the catastrophic event.
Both planets involved in the collision were giant, icy bodies about the size of Neptune. The event occurred near a star called ASASSN-21qj, about 3,600 light-years from Earth. As a result of the collision, a new planet hundreds of times larger than Earth was formed. The dust trail left by the collision was discovered by astronomers, further confirming the occurrence of this large-scale event.
As a result of the collision of the two planets, a vast hot planet was formed, significantly exceeding the size of the Earth, with a surface temperature reaching 700 degrees Celsius. At the same time, new satellites of this object are formed from the debris left after this collision.
This is not the only planetary collision this year.
Banner image: A visualization of the remnants of the planetary collision. Credit: MARK GARLICK
Image credit:
https://www.euronews.com
