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Nearby, Recent Interplanetary Collision Inferred

Posted by kdawson on from the when-worlds-collide dept.

The Bad Astronomer writes about a new discovery by the Spitzer Space Telescope, which detected signs of an interplanetary smashup only 100 light-years from here, and only a few thousand years ago. There's a NASA-produced animation of the collision between a Mercury-sized planet and a moon-sized impactor. The collision's aftermath was detected by the presence of what are essentially glass shards in orbit around the star. Here's NASA's writeup.

4 of 88 comments (clear)

  1. cocks by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Is GNAA still alive?

  2. Google ads on youtube videos by MichaelSmith · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Google is trying to flog me glass repair and weight loss services.

    --
    http://michaelsmith.id.au
  3. Let me be the first to say it by TheModelEskimo · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    "Just what are you inferring?" *annoyed look*

  4. Re:Infidels by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    The great test on Slashdot moderation system. Who was stupid enough to mod parent flamebait.