Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Multiple Asteroid Belts Found Orbiting Nearby Star

Posted by Soulskill on from the no-word-on-asteroid-suspenders dept.

Kligat writes "Scientists have found two asteroid belts around the star Epsilon Eridani, the ninth closest star to our solar system. Epsilon Eridani also possesses an icy outer ring similar in composition to our Kuiper Belt, but with 100 times more material, and a Jovian mass planet near the edge of the innermost belt. Researchers believe that two other planets must orbit the 850 million year old star near the other two belts. Terrestrial planets are possible, but not yet indicated."

5 of 135 comments (clear)

  1. Hmm. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    For those of you who dont want to RTFA but want some reference on why this is important, let me put a quote for you:

    "Studying Epsilon Eridani is like having a time machine to look at our solar system when it was young,"

  2. More Informative Article by tirerim · · Score: 5, Informative

    This one actually gives some information on how they detected the belts (short version: it's based on infrared emissions that could only come from rocky debris).

    And here is the actual paper on arXiv, if you want the full technical details of their methods.

  3. Re:heresy! by Flounder · · Score: 3, Informative

    The canon home of Vulcan is 40 Eridani, not Epsilon Eridani. So, no scientific conspiracy.

    --

    No boom today. Boom tomorrow. There's always a boom tomorrow. - Cmdr. Susan Ivanova

  4. 3 rings - not 2 by denzacar · · Score: 4, Informative

    From TFA:

    Astronomers have discovered that the nearby star Epsilon Eridani has two rocky asteroid belts and an outer icy ring, making it a triple-ring system.
    The inner asteroid belt is a virtual twin of the belt in our solar system, while the outer asteroid belt holds 20 times more material. Moreover, the presence of these three rings of material implies that unseen planets confine and shape them.

    Two rings of rocks, and one of ice.

    --
    Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
  5. Re:Astrologers thing they are so smart by MichaelSmith · · Score: 4, Informative

    I bet they can't even accurately predict what the odds are of successfully navigating through this asteroid belt.

    Easy. Just stay out of plane.

    --
    http://michaelsmith.id.au