On October 11, an international team of astronomers reported the first effects of the collision of two giant adult exoplanets orbiting a star similar to our Sun. Such collisions are not uncommon in the history of our solar system; So this discovery sheds light on how systems like ours have evolved over the ages.

Astronomers noticed the effects of the collision between two supermasses (ice giants larger than Earth but lighter than Neptune) in December 2021 when the planetary system’s host star, 2MASS J08152329-3859234, suddenly collapsed.

Later observations in the visible spectrum showed that the eclipse was caused by an impact lasting approximately 500 days. This eclipse began 2.5 years after infrared observations showing the event; This suggests that whatever eclipses the star has an orbital period of at least 2.5 years.

“Even then I knew this was an unusual event,” Matthew Kenworthy, a senior lecturer at Leiden University who led the study, said in a statement.

Based on the temperature and size of the obstructing material determined by computer simulations, the team concluded that the debris was formed by the collision of two giant exoplanets. Three years after the impact, remnant matter accidentally lined up in front of the star in our view, reducing its brightness in the visible spectrum and creating what scientists perceive as a “mysterious dimming.” The star itself is ordinary, about 300 million years old and much younger than our Sun, which is 4.6 billion years old.

Early in the history of our solar system, numerous collisions between planets and moons were common. Previous studies suggest that such collisions ended about 3.9 billion years ago, ushering in the relatively peaceful system scientists observe today, but rare collisions still occur.

However, the results of the latest study show that adult planets can also collide. Scientists say future observations with the James Webb Space Telescope may allow us to see how the dust cloud spreads over the next few years.

“As a result, the remaining material may condense and form new moons that will orbit the new planet,” said Zoe Leinhardt, senior lecturer in astrophysics at the University of Bristol and co-author of the study.