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Rare White Dwarf Star Consumes Water-Rich Planetary Fragment

9/19/2025

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Summary

Story summary

Astronomers found a white dwarf star, WD 1647+375, consuming a water-rich planetary fragment 1,400 light-years away.
The Hubble Space Telescope detected chemical signatures resembling icy objects in our solar system, like Pluto.
The fragment contains 64% water ice and high nitrogen content, the highest recorded in white dwarf debris.
This feeding event has lasted at least 13 years, with the star consuming about 200,000 kg of material per second.
The findings indicate that volatile-rich bodies, crucial for life, may be common in other planetary systems.

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Story summary

Astronomers found a white dwarf star, WD 1647+375, consuming a water-rich planetary fragment 1,400 light-years away.
The Hubble Space Telescope detected chemical signatures resembling icy objects in our solar system, like Pluto.
The fragment contains 64% water ice and high nitrogen content, the highest recorded in white dwarf debris.
This feeding event has lasted at least 13 years, with the star consuming about 200,000 kg of material per second.
The findings indicate that volatile-rich bodies, crucial for life, may be common in other planetary systems.