DESI side project reveals the spectra of disintegrated exoplanets
Using spectral data from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI), astronomers have gained some of the clearest evidence yet that white dwarf stars are accreting debris from disintegrating exoplanets.
Using spectral data from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI), astronomers have gained some of the clearest evidence yet that white dwarf stars are accreting debris from disintegrating exoplanets.
The short version
- This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies .
- The results have been published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society .
- To date, between 20% and 50% of the hundreds of thousands of white dwarfs observed by astronomers carry signatures of metals in their stellar spectra, offering a unique glimpse of the compositions of the exoplanets that once orbited them.
What happened
Of these, just over 1,750 are known to be actively accreting planetary debris—and of those, only a few dozen have spectra altered enough to yield reliable data on their metal compositions, making them especially valuable targets. Currently, the best resource available for studying these rare spectra is DESI, an instrument in the Arizona desert designed to probe the history of the universe's expansion through observations of distant galaxies.
Why it matters
Yet during its primary five-year survey, conditions weren't always favorable for observing its main target.
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