Astronomers have spotted a dead star surrounded by a debris disk split into two distinct rings, a configuration they believe was shaped by two planetary bodies that partly survived the star’s violent transformation and a possible preview of the solar system’s fate billions of years from now.
Using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope in Chile, researchers studied the white dwarf J1328-1450. Their peer-reviewed findings appeared in Nature Astronomy on October 26, and the observatory announced them the following day. Earlier studies have found debris disks around white dwarfs, but the researchers said this is the first time a disk has been observed with a distinct gap separating it into two parts.
Lead author Nicola Gentile Fusillo of the University of Trieste in Italy said: "We have known for some time that planets may survive beyond the transformation of their central star, but this is the first example of a complex system with a double debris disk and potentially two surviving planetesimals."
Co-author Felipe Lagos-Vilches of the University of Warwick in the U.K. and the Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María in Chile added: "The structure we see in this system is particularly intriguing because the two gaseous rings are remarkably stable and remain separated by a gap."
Gentile Fusillo remarked: "The system is a rare glimpse of the violent, chaotic process by which a planetary system meets its end, and it hints that dead stars can have disk structures far more complex than previously realized."
The researchers said the most likely explanation is that the rings came from two planet-like bodies that partly survived in separate orbits. The inner object could be about the size of an asteroid, roughly a mile or more across, while the outer object could be as large as Pluto or Earth's moon. The bodies themselves have not been spotted, but the team detected elements in the disk including calcium, oxygen, magnesium and iron, with each ring showing a different composition. The inner ring is rich in magnesium gas while the outer ring has little, which could support the idea that the rings came from two planets with different compositions. There is still the possibility, however, that the debris came from a single planet, with one ring fed by its crust and the other by its core.
About 5 billion years from now, the sun will use up its hydrogen, expand into a red giant for about 1 billion years, then blow off its outer layers, leaving behind its dense dead core as a white dwarf.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- This is the first time a debris disk around a white dwarf has been observed with a distinct gap splitting it into two rings, showing dead stars can host far more complex disk structures than previously known.
- It offers a possible preview of the solar system's distant future, when the sun becomes a white dwarf and surviving planetary remnants may shape rings of debris around it.
- The different chemical compositions of the two rings could help astronomers understand how planetary systems end and whether any bodies survive the death of their star.
Background
When sun-like stars exhaust their nuclear fuel, they expand into red giants, blow off their outer layers and leave behind dense, cooling cores known as white dwarfs. Debris disks around white dwarfs are generally thought to form from material torn from planets or asteroids that did not survive the star's transformation. The new observation suggests such disks can be more structured than expected, with material separated into stable rings.
Key Perspectives
Nicola Gentile Fusillo (lead author, University of Trieste): says the system is the first example of a complex double debris disk with potentially two surviving planetesimals, and a rare glimpse of a planetary system meeting its end.
Felipe Lagos-Vilches (University of Warwick and Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María): says the two gaseous rings are remarkably stable and remain separated by a gap.
The researchers (alternative explanation): note the debris may instead come from a single planet, with one ring fed by its crust and the other by its core.
What to Watch
- Whether astronomers can directly detect the two hypothesized surviving bodies around J1328-1450.
- Future observations of other white dwarfs to see whether double-ring debris disks are a common outcome.
- Further analysis of the rings' compositions to test whether they came from two bodies or from one planet's crust and core.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 12 supported.
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- SupportedThe system is described as a glimpse of what the solar system may become when the Sun dies.EarthSky: “This could be a glimpse at what the solar system’s future holds.”
- SupportedLead author Nicola Gentile Fusillo said, “We have known for some time that planets may survive beyond the transformation of their central star, but this is the first example of a complex system with a double debris disk and potentially two surviving planetesimals.”EarthSky: “Lead author Nicola Gentille Fusillo at the University of Trieste in Italy said : We have known for some time that planets may survive beyond the transformation of their central star, but this is the first example of a complex system with a double debris disk and potentially two surviving planetesimals.”
- SupportedCo-author Felipe Lagos-Vilches said, “The structure we see in this system is particularly intriguing because the two gaseous rings are remarkably stable and remain separated by a gap.”EarthSky: “Co-author Felipe Lagos-Vilches of the University of Warwick in the U.K. and the Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María in Chile added: The structure we see in this system is particularly intriguing because the two gaseous rings are remarkably stable and remain separated by a gap.”
- SupportedGentile Fusillo said, “The system is a rare glimpse of the violent, chaotic process by which a planetary system meets its end, and it hints that dead stars can have disk structures far more complex than previously realized.”EarthSky: “Gentile Fusillo remarked: The system is a rare glimpse of the violent, chaotic process by which a planetary system meets its end, and it hints that dead stars can have disk structures far more complex than previously realized.”
- SupportedThe white dwarf is surrounded by a debris disk split into two distinct rings.EarthSky: “The disk consists of two rings that circle the white dwarf at different speeds.”
- SupportedThe researchers say the two rings were most likely shaped by two planetary bodies that partly survived the star’s transformation.EarthSky: “The researchers said the most likely scenario that resulted in the two rings is that they came from two planet-like bodies that partly survived in their separate orbits.”
- SupportedResearchers say this is the first observed white-dwarf disk with a distinct gap separating it into two parts.EarthSky: “But this is the first time researchers have spotted a disk with a distinct gap separating it into two parts.”
- SupportedThe study was published in Nature Astronomy on October 26, 2026.EarthSky: “The researchers published their peer-reviewed study in the journal Nature Astronomy on October 26, 2026.”
- SupportedThe European Southern Observatory announced the finding on October 27, 2026.EarthSky: “Scientists from the European Southern Observatory said on October 27, 2026, that they’ve spotted a white dwarf star with a debris disk circling it.”
- SupportedThe inner object could be about an asteroid’s size, roughly a mile or more across, and the outer object could be as large as Pluto or Earth’s moon.EarthSky: “They said the inner object could be about the size of an asteroid, approximately a mile or more across. Meanwhile, the outer object could be larger, the size of Pluto or Earth’s moon.”
- SupportedThe inner ring is rich in magnesium gas while the outer ring has little, and the rings have different compositions.EarthSky: “The inner ring is rich in magnesium gas while the outer ring has little. This could bolster the idea of the rings being from two planets with different compositions.”
- SupportedAbout 5 billion years from now, the Sun will use up its hydrogen, expand into a red giant for about 1 billion years, then shed its outer layers and leave a white dwarf.EarthSky: “About 5 billion years from now, the sun will near the end of its life when it uses up its supply of hydrogen. Then it will temporarily expand into a red giant for about 1 billion years. Finally, it will blow off its outer layers in a last gasp. All that will be left behind is the sun’s dense, dead core: a white dwarf .”
