White Dwarf Shows Two Rings of Planetary Debris
Astronomers using the Very Large Telescope in Chile found a white dwarf with a debris disc split into two concentric gaseous rings.
Updated on Nov. 7, 2026 in Space
Astronomers identified the white dwarf J1328-1450, located about 1,600 light-years from Earth in the constellation Virgo, surrounded by planetary debris forming two rings. It is the first white dwarf of its kind found with a double-ring structure, unlike the 21 previously identified white dwarfs with debris, all of which had a single disc.
Why it matters
The find suggests that relatively large rocky bodies may have survived in the debris and helped shape the rings. It offers a view of how planetary systems may be altered as their host stars age, including the future fate of planets in our own solar system.
The white dwarf J1328-1450 has a mass about 47% that of the sun, packed into a diameter roughly the same as Earth's, and its debris disc contains two concentric gaseous rings. The outer ring is strongly depleted in magnesium compared with the inner ring, and the cause of that difference has not been determined.
The players
European Southern Observatory
An intergovernmental organization that operates world-class ground-based telescopes, including the Very Large Telescope in Chile used for these observations.
The details
Objects on highly eccentric orbits came close enough to the white dwarf to be torn apart by its gravity, spreading dust and gas into a debris disc. Two relatively large rocky bodies may have survived within that debris and shaped the two rings.
Timeline
Billions of years from now, the sun will run out of fuel and become a red giant.
In about 5 billion years, the sun will become a red giant before shrinking into a white dwarf.
Deeper Dive
The discovery was made with the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope in Chile, adding a double-ring white dwarf to the 21 previously identified white dwarfs with debris, all of which had a single disc. It extends the observed range of planetary debris configurations around white dwarfs.
The findings show how planetary systems can be reshaped as their host stars age, a process that will eventually affect the planets in our own solar system. Mercury and Venus are expected to be engulfed by the expanding sun, while Jupiter, Saturn and more distant bodies should have a much better chance of survival.
The takeaway
Planetary systems can be reshaped long after their stars have died, and debris left behind may still hold clues to what survived. Watching how distant white dwarfs evolve offers a preview of the fate awaiting our own solar system.
Further reading
For more on how stars and planetary systems evolve, explore our Space coverage.
