News Astronomy

A Jupiter-like planet orbiting a white dwarf hints at our solar system’s future

Only a handful of worlds have ever been found around one of the dim, dense stars

white dwarf star illustration

A white dwarf star (illustrated at left) barely illuminates a planet (right) whose mass and distance from its star resemble those of Jupiter.

W.M. Keck Observatory, Adam Makarenko

By Ken Croswell

- More than 2 years ago

A glimpse of our solar system’s future has appeared thousands of light-years away in the constellation Sagittarius.