We may have seen two asteroids annihilate each other in another solar system:
We've not actually "seen" the vast majority of exoplanets we've found orbiting distant stars. Instead, their existence has been inferred based on changes in the light of the stars that they orbit. That makes the 20 or so we have imaged directly exceptional. Direct imaging typically requires a very large planet, which means this sample isn't entirely representative, but these planets do provide a unique opportunity for us to observe how bodies interact with each other and their environments in exosolar systems.
But, if two researchers at the University of Arizona are right, we can scratch one of these examples off the list. They say that the supposed planet has vanished in more recent images, which indicates it was never actually there in the first place. Instead, they argue that we've been observing the debris of a smash-up between two very large asteroids.
(Score: 2) by driverless on Thursday April 23 2020, @05:21PM (3 children)
You can experience it yourself here [freeasteroids.org].
(Score: 3, Touché) by c0lo on Thursday April 23 2020, @05:28PM (2 children)
Are you nuts? Flash?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Thursday April 23 2020, @08:25PM
First thing I saw too. Flash? Woah. No thanks.
(Score: 2) by driverless on Friday April 24 2020, @02:59AM
Ah, I block all that crap at the router so never even saw it was flash-based. In that case Google for other online Asteroid emulators...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 23 2020, @06:53PM
Nothing of value was lost. Good riddance.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by captain normal on Thursday April 23 2020, @07:01PM
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/20/science/fomalhaut-exoplanet-asteroid.html [nytimes.com]
"It is easier to fool someone than it is to convince them that they have been fooled" Mark Twain
(Score: 2) by choose another one on Thursday April 23 2020, @10:59PM
"That's no planet..."