Produced by: Tarun Mishra Designed by: Manoj Kumar
According to a report published in the British weekly scientific journal, Nature, a collaborative effort between professional and amateur astronomers has led to the discovery of a massive collision between two ice giant planets in a distant star system.
The event took place around a star named Asassn-21qj, situated 1, 800 light-years away from Earth. The initial detection of the fading in the appearance of this star, was made by the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae (ASAS-SN) network in the year 2021.
The discovery began with the sharp observations of NASA volunteers, particularly Arttu Sainio, who, while browsing social media, stumbled upon a discussion by professional astronomers Dr. Matthew Kenworthy and Dr. Eric Mamajek regarding the fading star.
Intrigued by the discussion, Sainio delved into data from NASA's NEOWISE mission and uncovered an unexpected brightening in infrared light two years before the optical dimming occurred.
Recognizing the significance of the finding, Matthew Kenworthy joined forces with amateur spectroscopist Hamish Barker, who attempted to capture the star's spectrum in July 2022 but found it too faint.
Hamish Barker reached out to the Southern Spectroscopic project Observatory Team (2SPOT), a French amateur astronomy team including Stephane Charbonnel, Pascal Le Dû, Olivier Garde, Lionel Mulato, and Thomas Petit. In September 2022, 2SPOT successfully obtained the spectrum for analysis.
Further independent observations came from amateur astronomer Sean Curry, providing a spectrum in April 2023, and Franz-Josef (Josch) Hambsch, who monitored Asassn-21qj from his ROAD observatory in the Atacama Desert and submitted his findings to the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) database.
The obtained spectra were sent to Matthew Kenworthy for analysis, contributing to a comprehensive understanding of the celestial event and its implications.
The discovery of the aftermath of a collision between two ice giant planets, evidenced by the heat glow and subsequent dust cloud around Asassn-21qj, marks a significant milestone in our understanding of cosmic events and the dynamic nature of the universe.