Astronomers have imaged a series of star systems with their own icy belts, similar to the Kuiper Belt in our solar system. These discoveries could provide insights into how comets form and the formation of planetary systems.
Researchers at the Center for Astrophysics used facilities like the Submillimeter Array and Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array to search for exocomets – comets from outside our solar system. Their efforts led to 74 exocomet belts, each surrounding a star of its own. Some belts are narrow rings, while others resemble wide, flat disks.
The team’s findings suggest that these belts may be influenced by undetected planets and could provide clues about their origin. The bodies within the icy belts collide, producing pebbles that are later observed on Earth-based observatories.
According to lead study author Luca Matrà, exocomets are massive boulders of rock and ice that smash together to create these pebbles. Exocometary belts have been found in at least 20% of planetary systems, including our own solar system.
The new images will play a significant role in understanding how comets form and the formation of planetary systems.
Source: https://www.extremetech.com/science/astronomers-image-dozens-of-star-systems-wearing-exocomet-belts