EVIDENCE FOR GAS FROM A DISINTEGRATING EXTRASOLAR ASTEROID
Journal Article
·
· Astrophysical Journal Letters
- European Southern Observatory, Karl-Schwarzschild-Straße 2, D-85748 Garching (Germany)
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles CA 90095-1562 (United States)
We report high-resolution spectroscopic observations of WD 1145+017—a white dwarf that was recently found to be transitted by multiple asteroid-sized objects within its tidal radius. We discovered numerous circumstellar absorption lines with linewidths of ∼300 km s{sup −1} from Mg, Ca, Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, and Ni, possibly from several gas streams produced by collisions among the actively disintegrating objects. The atmosphere of WD 1145+017 is polluted with 11 heavy elements, including O, Mg, Al, Si, Ca, Ti, V:, Cr, Mn, Fe, and Ni. Evidently, we are witnessing the active disintegration and subsequent accretion of an extrasolar asteroid.
- OSTI ID:
- 22518636
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal Letters, Vol. 816, Issue 2; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 2041-8205
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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