The artist's animation depicts a possible disintegrating planet candidate as it orbits its star (KIC 12557548). Dust and gas ejected from the possible planet’s sweltering surface is theorized to form a comet-like tail of trailing material. The density of the tail can change dramatically, even over a single 15-hour orbit. Kepler finds planets by searching for the slight drop in brightness seen as they pass in front of their stars. Usually that drop is constant, but in this system, the variation seen from orbit to orbit hints at a dusty tail trailing a doomed world.
NASA/JPL-Caltech
2012-06-06
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