Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: The nearby star Fomalhaut is orbited by a compact source, Fomalhaut b, which has previously been interpreted as either a dust-enshrouded exoplanet or a dust cloud generated by the collision of two planetesimals. Such collisions are rarely observed, but their debris can appear in direct imaging. We report Hubble Space Telescope observations that show the appearance in 2023 of a second point source around Fomalhaut, resembling the appearance of Fomalhaut b 20 years earlier. We interpret this additional source as a dust cloud produced by a recent impact between two planetesimals. The positions and motion of two impact-generated dust clouds over 20 years provide constraints on the collisional dynamics in the debris belt.
Source: Science
Institutions: Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas, University of California, Berkeley, Northwestern University, University of California, Santa Barbara, Xiamen University, Université Côte d'Azur, Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur, University of Cambridge, Malaghan Institute of Medical Research, University of Warwick, European Southern Observatory, University of California, Los Angeles
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4417476304