On the Trail of Dead Planets: Dust ring around a white dwarf

Infrared observations have just depicted the dusty vestiges of a planetary system dancing around a dead star. Researchers say that the dust is generated by collisions among comets that outlived both their parent star and the star’s innermost planets.

COMETARY EYEFUL. Dust (central red cloud) surrounding a white dwarf in the famous Helix nebula may be a sign of comet collisions around the dead star.