What happens to planets that survive being smothered by bloated old stars? A "chunk of metal debris" orbits white dwarf SDSS J122859.93+10432.9 so closely it reveals the outcome of such an apocalyptic event. Here's the New York Times's Dennis Overbye, quoting physicist Christopher Manser:
It came as a surprise, Dr. Manser said. Such debris disks were typically understood to be the remains of a small body, such as an asteroid or comet, that had come near the white dwarf and been torn apart by tidal forces. The newly found fragment would have to be solid metal, perhaps iron, to have withstood the tidal stretching, Dr. Manser said. But it now orbits too close to the white dwarf for life as we know it to exist on it.
Nor is there better news to be found elsewhere around the white dwarf. Other planets may exist, orbiting farther out, but the star is now too faint to deliver sustenance at such a distance. “It is unlikely that the system is habitable,” Dr. Manser said.
Hey, for all we know, SDSS J122859.93+10432.9 is the most beautiful place in the universe! The artist's impression is by Mark Garlick, for the University of Warwick. Check out Garlick's website.
