The US space agency, NASA, recently published an image that it said was of a debris cloud caused by a massive celestial collision.
A number of astronomers at the University of Arizona said in a study published in the Astrophysical Journal, that the picture was taken when a cloud of debris passed in front of its star, and blocked the light for a short period, in a phenomenon called “transit.”
The scientists were then able to determine the size of the cloud shortly after the impact, estimating the size of the objects that collided, and the speed with which the cloud dissipated.
Study co-author George Rickey explained in a statement: “All similar cases previously reported using the Spitzer Space Observatory did not provide a full explanation of the phenomenon, but only theoretical hypotheses about the shape of the actual event and the debris cloud.”
Scientists believe that these types of collisions around young stars cause rocky planets to form.
According to NASA, the Spitzer Observatory used to monitor 100 similar cases, including the 10-million-year-old star, HD 166191.
Scientists believe that such astronomical phenomena may be very important in understanding the mechanisms of formation of our solar system and planets with a rocky structure.