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{{Short description|Asteroids found outside of the Solar System}}
{{Short description|Asteroids found outside of the Solar System}}
{{use dmy dates |date=December 2023}}
{{use dmy dates |date=December 2023}}
[[File:Fomalhaut Dusty Debris Disk (MIRI Compass Image).png|thumb|right|250px|<div align="center">Exoasteroid belts around star [[Fomalhaut]]<br />([[JWST]]; 8 May 2023)</div>]]
[[File:Fomalhaut Dusty Debris Disk (MIRI Compass Image).png|thumb|right|275px|<div align="center">Exoasteroid belts around star [[Fomalhaut]]<br />([[James Webb Space Telescope]]; 8 May 2023)</div>]]
An '''exoasteroid''', '''exo-asteroid''' or '''extrasolar asteroid''', is an [[asteroid]] outside the [[Solar System]]. Exoasteroids (and related exoasteroid belts) were considered to be hypothetical, but scientific study and thorough analysis has provided evidence for their existence.<ref name="SM-20230511">{{cite news |last=Enking |first=Molly |title=James Webb Telescope Reveals Asteroid Belts Around Nearby Young Star - The findings suggest the star Fomalhaut may have orbiting planets hidden among its rings of debris |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/james-webb-telescope-reveals-asteroid-belts-around-nearby-young-star-180982148 |date=11 May 2023 |work=[[Smithsonian (magazine)|Smitjhsonian]] |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://archive.ph/wip/vDco0 |archivedate=31 December 2023 |accessdate=31 December 2023 }}</ref>
An '''exoasteroid''', '''exo-asteroid''' or '''extrasolar asteroid''' is an [[asteroid]] located outside the [[Solar System]]. While exoasteroids and exoasteroid belts were once considered hypothetical, recent scientific studies and thorough analyses have provided evidence for their existence.<ref name="SM-20230511">{{cite news |last=Enking |first=Molly |title=James Webb Telescope Reveals Asteroid Belts Around Nearby Young Star - The findings suggest the star Fomalhaut may have orbiting planets hidden among its rings of debris |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/james-webb-telescope-reveals-asteroid-belts-around-nearby-young-star-180982148 |date=11 May 2023 |work=[[Smithsonian (magazine)|Smitjhsonian]] |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20231231121148/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/james-webb-telescope-reveals-asteroid-belts-around-nearby-young-star-180982148/ |archivedate=31 December 2023 |accessdate=31 December 2023 }}</ref>


==Evidence==
==Evidence==
In the [[Formation and evolution of the Solar System|Solar System’s early history]], early [[Gas giant|gas giants]] would break apart [[Protoplanet|protoplanets]], eventually breaking them up into smaller pieces, and turning into the [[asteroid]]s we observe today. This goes with other solar systems with asteroid belts surrounding them.<ref>{{cite web |title=Asteroids: Facts |url=https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/asteroids/facts/ |website=nasa.gov |access-date=31 December 2023}}</ref> Another hypothesis on how exoasteroids, or an exoasteroid belt forms is that early gas giants would fling planets using their gravity, ripping them apart, or flinging them towards the [[Sun]] to get ripped apart.<ref name="NASA-20230126">{{cite news |last=Gronstal |first=Aaron |title=Exo-Asteroids and Habitability around M-Dwarfs |url=https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/news/exo-asteroids-and-habitability-around-m-dwarfs/ |date=26 January 2023 |work=[[NASA]] |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://archive.ph/wip/bCCr0 |archivedate=31 December 2023 |accessdate=31 December 2023 }}</ref> Planets are only formed when these asteroids, [[comet]]s or [[meteorite]]s form together, eventually creating a [[planet]]. Another hypothesis is that when stars form, they form an [[asteroid belt]] around them consisting of extra material left over from the star's formation.{{Citation needed|date=December 2023}} NASA once conducted studies, confirming that almost any solar system with planets as large as the outer gas giants and inner planets as large as the inner rocky planets could form an asteroid belt around its star.<ref name="NASA-20230126" />
Scientists propose that the formation of exoasteroids often results from the fragmentation of [[exoplanet]]s by [[gas giant]]s. These exoasteroids are presumed to be the remnants of smaller celestial bodies that endured the demise of their parent exoplanet. Analogous processes are hypothesized to have occurred during the [[Formation and evolution of the Solar System|formation of our Solar System]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Asteroids: Facts |url=https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/asteroids/facts/ |website=nasa.gov |access-date=31 December 2023}}</ref><ref name="NASA-20230126">{{cite news |last=Gronstal |first=Aaron |title=Exo-Asteroids and Habitability around M-Dwarfs |url=https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/news/exo-asteroids-and-habitability-around-m-dwarfs/ |date=26 January 2023 |work=[[NASA]] |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20231231122011/https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/news/exo-asteroids-and-habitability-around-m-dwarfs/ |archivedate=31 December 2023 |accessdate=31 December 2023 }}</ref>


[[NASA]] has conducted studies affirming that the presence of [[asteroid belt|asteroid belts]] around stars is a common phenomenon in nearly any solar system hosting planets comparable in size to the [[outer planet|outer]] and [[inner planet]]s of our [[Solar System]].<ref name="NASA-20230126" />
⚫
In May 2023, the [[James Webb Space Telescope]] captured images of [[Fomalhaut]],<ref name=":0">{{cite web |date=8 May 2023 |title=Webb Looks for Fomalhaut's Asteroid Belt and Finds Much More |url=https://www.nasa.gov/missions/webb/webb-looks-for-fomalhauts-asteroid-belt-and-finds-much-more/ |access-date=30 December 2023 |website=nasa.gov}}</ref> a young star located 25 [[light-year]]s (ly) from Earth. Scientists conducted simulations and tests of Fomalhaut's asteroid belt, and concluded that the asteroid belt may have formed due to larger body collisions.<ref name=":0" />{{clarify|date=December 2023}}


=== History ===
⚫
Another star that has been detected to have an asteroid belt around it is [[White dwarf|white dwarf star]] [[WD 0145+234]]. It is thought that WD 0145+234 had a previous, more massive exoasteroid or exoplanet orbiting it, which was later [[Disrupted planet|destroyed]], leaving a massive exoasteroid belt orbiting the star. Due to the star's radius, scientists have concluded that the [[accretion disk]] orbiting WD 0145+234 is very active, with exoasteroids being ripped apart by the star's [[gravitational pull]]. In 2018, astronomers detected that the star's light was 10% more intense in the mid-infrared spectrum, and concluded that a recent exoasteroid was pulled apart, creating a cloud of metallic dust between the Earth and WD 0145+234.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Letzter |first1=Rafi |date=17 October 2019 |title=An Asteroid-Smashing Star Ground a Giant Rock to Bits and Covered Itself in the Remains |url=https://www.livescience.com/white-dwarf-asteroid-smasher.html |access-date=31 December 2023 |website=livescience.com}}</ref>
In December 1988, American [[astrophysicist]]s [[Benjamin Zuckerman]] and [[Eric Becklin]] detected a substantial [[circumstellar disc]] encircling the [[white dwarf]] star [[G 29-38]], stemming from a near-infrared survey of 200 white dwarfs.<ref name="BZ1">[http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1988Natur.336..656B A low-temperature companion to a white dwarf star], E. E. Becklin & B. Zuckerman, ''Nature'' '''336''' (Dec. 15, 1988), pp. 656-658</ref> Zuckerman and Becklin conducted further investigations on the white dwarf star, uncovering that the circumstellar disc emits notable radiation within the 2 to 5 [[Micrometre|micrometer]] range. This discovery suggests potential interactions between exoasteroids and [[Radiation|radiant matter]], possibly leading to their ejection into space.<ref>[http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1987Natur.330..138Z Excess infrared radiation from a white dwarf - an orbiting brown dwarf?] B. Zuckerman & E. E. Becklin, ''Nature'' '''330''', (Nov. 12, 1987), pp. 138-140</ref> Subsequent observations in 2004 by the [[Spitzer Space Telescope]] revealed the presence of a dust cloud surrounding G 29-38. This phenomenon is believed to have originated from the disintegration of an [[exocomet]] or exoasteroid as it interacted with the white dwarf over time.<ref>[http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2005ApJ...635L.161R The Dust Cloud around the White Dwarf G29-38], William T. Reach, Marc J. Kuchner, Ted von Hippel, Adam Burrows, Fergal Mullally, Mukremin Kilic, and D. E. Winget, ''Astrophysical Journal'' '''635''', #2 (December 2005), pp. L161–L164.</ref> Spitzers observations further proved that exoasteroids could exist.


⚫
In May 2023, the [[James Webb Space Telescope]] provided images of [[Fomalhaut]],<ref name=":0">{{cite web |date=8 May 2023 |title=Webb Looks for Fomalhaut's Asteroid Belt and Finds Much More |url=https://www.nasa.gov/missions/webb/webb-looks-for-fomalhauts-asteroid-belt-and-finds-much-more/ |access-date=30 December 2023 |website=nasa.gov}}</ref> a young star positioned 25 [[light-year]]s (ly) away from Earth. Scientists analyzed these images and conducted simulations and tests on Fomalhaut's asteroid belt, proposing that it likely formed due to collisions involving larger celestial bodies.<ref name=":0" />{{clarify|date=December 2023}}
⚫
==Detection==
⚫
[[File:JPL-AsteroidDisruptedByStar-ArtistConcept.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Exoasteroid being ripped apart by its star]]
⚫
In 2013, astronomers discovered shattered remains of an exoasteroid around star [[GD 61]]. On closer analysis, scientists concluded that the asteroid previously had a water-rich surface: originally some 26% water by mass on its surface, almost close to the surface water (in the form of ice) on the dwarf planet [[Ceres (dwarf planet)|Ceres]]. This evidence suggests that a [[super-Earth]] exoplanet could have existed around the star at some point in its history. It is thought the asteroid was destroyed by its star, leaving tiny fragments behind, eventually creating an asteroid belt around the star. This means that exoplanets orbit GD 61, potentially using their gravity to hold the asteroid belt in place, just as how [[Jupiter]] holds its asteroid belt.


⚫
Another notable star hosting an asteroid belt is the white dwarf star [[WD 0145+234]]. It is hypothesized that WD 0145+234 once hosted an exoasteroid or exoplanet in orbit around it, which was subsequently disrupted, leading to the formation of a substantial exoasteroid belt. Due to the star's dimensions, scientists infer that the [[accretion disk]] surrounding WD 0145+234 is highly active, resulting in the regular disruption of exoasteroids by the star's gravitational pull. In 2018, astronomers observed a 10% increase in the star's [[mid-infrared]] light, indicative of the recent destruction of an exoasteroid, which led to the formation of a cloud of metallic dust partially obscuring WD 0145+234 from Earth's view.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Letzter |first1=Rafi |date=17 October 2019 |title=An Asteroid-Smashing Star Ground a Giant Rock to Bits and Covered Itself in the Remains |url=https://www.livescience.com/white-dwarf-asteroid-smasher.html |access-date=31 December 2023 |website=livescience.com}}</ref>
⚫
Some time later, scientists used the [[Cosmic Origins Spectrograph]] aboard the [[Hubble Space Telescope]] to determine the chemical elements contained in the asteroid: magnesium, silicon, iron, and oxygen were detected in the asteroid's water.<ref>{{cite web |date=10 October 2013 |title=Watery asteroid discovered in dying star points to habitable exoplanets |url=https://phys.org/news/2013-10-watery-asteroid-dying-star-habitable.html |access-date=31 December 2023 |website=phys.org}}</ref>


⚫
==Detection==
As of December 2023, GD 61 is the only star known to have had an asteroid orbiting it;{{Citation needed|date=December 2023}} especially orbiting asteroids with water content, leading to a hypothetical planet that might have orbited the star in the past.
⚫
[[File:JPL-AsteroidDisruptedByStar-ArtistConcept.jpg|thumb|left|Artist's concept of an exoasteroid being ripped apart by its star]]
⚫
In 2013, astronomers discovered fragmented remnants of an exoasteroid orbiting the star [[GD 61]]. Upon detailed examination, scientists determined that the asteroid possessed a [[surface water|surface rich in water]], comprising approximately 26% water by mass, a composition akin to the surface water, primarily in the form of [[ice]], found on the [[dwarf planet]] [[Ceres (dwarf planet)|Ceres]]. It suggests the potential existence of an exoplanet with [[liquid water]] around the star at some point in its history. It is postulated that the asteroid met its demise due to interactions with its star, leading to its fragmentation and subsequent formation of an asteroid belt around the star.


⚫
Following this discovery, scientists used the [[Cosmic Origins Spectrograph]] aboard the [[Hubble Space Telescope]] to analyze the chemical composition of the asteroid; it showed the presence of [[magnesium]], [[silicon]], [[iron]], and [[oxygen]] within the asteroid's water.<ref>{{cite web |date=10 October 2013 |title=Watery asteroid discovered in dying star points to habitable exoplanets |url=https://phys.org/news/2013-10-watery-asteroid-dying-star-habitable.html |access-date=31 December 2023 |website=phys.org}}</ref>
==Observation==
Exoasteroids can be detected as they [[transit method|transit]] their star. [[Spectroscopy]] can be useful in detecting asteroids not visible to telescopes; although coordinates would have to be provided in able to detect such an asteroid. Along with spectroscopy, scientists could detect surface features on the asteroid, giving better understanding of the asteroid; almost how researchers found out water was on the first discovered exoasteroid.{{cn|date=January 2024}}


===Proposed observational methods===
==Remote sensing==
Exoasteroids can be detected through various methodical processes. The [[transit method]] is a common technique used to discover extrasolar objects as they pass in front of their host star, providing scientists with the opportunity to observe their shape. [[Spectroscopy]] can be used to identify distinctive characteristics of exoasteroids, and allows to detect surface features. Other techniques include [[remote sensing]] and [[List of missions to minor planets|data from past missions to minor planets]].
In 2017, [[ʻOumuamua]] passed by our Solar system, marking the first [[interstellar object]] to be discovered in our solar system. Scientists used techniques to [[remote sensing|remotely sense]] the object, and found out it was primordially covered with rocks and possibly [[Metal|metals]].<ref>{{cite web |title='Oumuamua NASA Science |url=https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/comets/oumuamua/ |website=nasa.gov |access-date=1 January 2024}}</ref> Using this information, scientists could discover that most exoasteroids could be covered with the same materials ʻOumuamua carries. Scientists could also use data from [[List of missions to minor planets|past missions that studied asteroids or comets]]. Asteroids that closely resemble exoasteroids already discovered are [[101955 Bennu]], which was found out recently to carry [[phyllosilicate]]s that hold water.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hamilton |first=V. E. |last2=Simon |first2=A. A. |last3=Christensen |first3=P. R. |last4=Reuter |first4=D. C. |last5=Clark |first5=B. E. |last6=Barucci |first6=M. A. |last7=Bowles |first7=N. E. |last8=Boynton |first8=W. V. |last9=Brucato |first9=J. R. |last10=Cloutis |first10=E. A. |last11=Connolly |first11=H. C. |last12=Donaldson Hanna |first12=K. L. |last13=Emery |first13=J. P. |last14=Enos |first14=H. L. |last15=Fornasier |first15=S. |date=2019-03-19 |title=Evidence for widespread hydrated minerals on asteroid (101955) Bennu |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-019-0722-2 |journal=Nature Astronomy |language=en |volume=3 |issue=4 |pages=332–340 |doi=10.1038/s41550-019-0722-2 |issn=2397-3366 |pmc=6662227 |pmid=31360777}}</ref>


== See also ==
== See also ==
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[[Category:Asteroids| ]]
[[Category:Asteroids| ]]
[[Category:Minor planets]]
[[Category:Minor planets]]
[[Category:Exoplanetology]]
{{Asteroid-stub}}

Latest revision as of 18:50, 12 September 2024

Exoasteroid belts around star Fomalhaut
(James Webb Space Telescope; 8 May 2023)

An exoasteroid, exo-asteroid or extrasolar asteroid is an asteroid located outside the Solar System. While exoasteroids and exoasteroid belts were once considered hypothetical, recent scientific studies and thorough analyses have provided evidence for their existence.[1]

Evidence

[edit]

Scientists propose that the formation of exoasteroids often results from the fragmentation of exoplanets by gas giants. These exoasteroids are presumed to be the remnants of smaller celestial bodies that endured the demise of their parent exoplanet. Analogous processes are hypothesized to have occurred during the formation of our Solar System.[2][3]

NASA has conducted studies affirming that the presence of asteroid belts around stars is a common phenomenon in nearly any solar system hosting planets comparable in size to the outer and inner planets of our Solar System.[3]

History

[edit]

In December 1988, American astrophysicists Benjamin Zuckerman and Eric Becklin detected a substantial circumstellar disc encircling the white dwarf star G 29-38, stemming from a near-infrared survey of 200 white dwarfs.[4] Zuckerman and Becklin conducted further investigations on the white dwarf star, uncovering that the circumstellar disc emits notable radiation within the 2 to 5 micrometer range. This discovery suggests potential interactions between exoasteroids and radiant matter, possibly leading to their ejection into space.[5] Subsequent observations in 2004 by the Spitzer Space Telescope revealed the presence of a dust cloud surrounding G 29-38. This phenomenon is believed to have originated from the disintegration of an exocomet or exoasteroid as it interacted with the white dwarf over time.[6] Spitzers observations further proved that exoasteroids could exist.

In May 2023, the James Webb Space Telescope provided images of Fomalhaut,[7] a young star positioned 25 light-years (ly) away from Earth. Scientists analyzed these images and conducted simulations and tests on Fomalhaut's asteroid belt, proposing that it likely formed due to collisions involving larger celestial bodies.[7][clarification needed]

Another notable star hosting an asteroid belt is the white dwarf star WD 0145+234. It is hypothesized that WD 0145+234 once hosted an exoasteroid or exoplanet in orbit around it, which was subsequently disrupted, leading to the formation of a substantial exoasteroid belt. Due to the star's dimensions, scientists infer that the accretion disk surrounding WD 0145+234 is highly active, resulting in the regular disruption of exoasteroids by the star's gravitational pull. In 2018, astronomers observed a 10% increase in the star's mid-infrared light, indicative of the recent destruction of an exoasteroid, which led to the formation of a cloud of metallic dust partially obscuring WD 0145+234 from Earth's view.[8]

Detection

[edit]
Artist's concept of an exoasteroid being ripped apart by its star

In 2013, astronomers discovered fragmented remnants of an exoasteroid orbiting the star GD 61. Upon detailed examination, scientists determined that the asteroid possessed a surface rich in water, comprising approximately 26% water by mass, a composition akin to the surface water, primarily in the form of ice, found on the dwarf planet Ceres. It suggests the potential existence of an exoplanet with liquid water around the star at some point in its history. It is postulated that the asteroid met its demise due to interactions with its star, leading to its fragmentation and subsequent formation of an asteroid belt around the star.

Following this discovery, scientists used the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph aboard the Hubble Space Telescope to analyze the chemical composition of the asteroid; it showed the presence of magnesium, silicon, iron, and oxygen within the asteroid's water.[9]

Proposed observational methods

[edit]

Exoasteroids can be detected through various methodical processes. The transit method is a common technique used to discover extrasolar objects as they pass in front of their host star, providing scientists with the opportunity to observe their shape. Spectroscopy can be used to identify distinctive characteristics of exoasteroids, and allows to detect surface features. Other techniques include remote sensing and data from past missions to minor planets.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Enking, Molly (11 May 2023). "James Webb Telescope Reveals Asteroid Belts Around Nearby Young Star - The findings suggest the star Fomalhaut may have orbiting planets hidden among its rings of debris". Smitjhsonian. Archived from the original on 31 December 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  2. ^ "Asteroids: Facts". nasa.gov. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  3. ^ a b Gronstal, Aaron (26 January 2023). "Exo-Asteroids and Habitability around M-Dwarfs". NASA. Archived from the original on 31 December 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  4. ^ A low-temperature companion to a white dwarf star, E. E. Becklin & B. Zuckerman, Nature 336 (Dec. 15, 1988), pp. 656-658
  5. ^ Excess infrared radiation from a white dwarf - an orbiting brown dwarf? B. Zuckerman & E. E. Becklin, Nature 330, (Nov. 12, 1987), pp. 138-140
  6. ^ The Dust Cloud around the White Dwarf G29-38, William T. Reach, Marc J. Kuchner, Ted von Hippel, Adam Burrows, Fergal Mullally, Mukremin Kilic, and D. E. Winget, Astrophysical Journal 635, #2 (December 2005), pp. L161–L164.
  7. ^ a b "Webb Looks for Fomalhaut's Asteroid Belt and Finds Much More". nasa.gov. 8 May 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  8. ^ Letzter, Rafi (17 October 2019). "An Asteroid-Smashing Star Ground a Giant Rock to Bits and Covered Itself in the Remains". livescience.com. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  9. ^ "Watery asteroid discovered in dying star points to habitable exoplanets". phys.org. 10 October 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
[edit]
Look up exoasteroid in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
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