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A planetary destruction event has been detected in the Helix Nebula (NGC 7293), located 650 light-years from Earth in the constellation Aquarius. New observations from NASA\u2019s Chandra X-ray Observatory suggest that a white dwarf, WD 2226-210, has torn apart a nearby planet, producing an unusual X-ray signal that astronomers have monitored for over four decades.<\/p>\n
Scientists analyzing data from Chandra, along with observations from the XMM-Newton telescope, propose that material from a planet in close orbit around WD 2226-210 is being pulled onto the white dwarf\u2019s surface. This event provides strong evidence of planetary destruction by a dying star, a phenomenon never observed before within a planetary nebula.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe think this X-ray signal could be from planetary debris pulled onto the white dwarf, as the death knell from a planet that was destroyed by the white dwarf in the Helix Nebula. We might have finally found the cause of a mystery that\u2019s lasted over 40 years,\u201d Sandino Estrada-Dorado of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, the study\u2019s lead author, stated. <\/p>\n