Astronomers have detected massive debris discs around 61 Virginis and Gilese 581, two nearby stars that are known to host “super-Earth” planets – so-called because their mass is between that of Earth and Neptune. Debris discs are belts of comets and asteroids orbiting the star.
The study, which was carried out using the European Space Agency’s Herschel Space Observatory, also reveals that debris discs are preferentially found in planetary systems with low-mass planets than in those hosting high-mass planets. This suggests that debris discs may survive more easily in the absence of planets with a very high mass, and highlights the importance of debris discs in the study of planet formation.
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Image: An image of the star Gilese 581 (bottom of image), with an illustration of the debris disc superimposed to show its position.
Credit: ESA.
Reproduced courtesy of the University of Cambridge
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Low-mass planets make good neighbours for debris discs
28 November 2012
Astronomers using the Herschel Space Observatory have detected massive debris discs around two nearby stars hosting low-mass planets. The discovery suggests that debris discs may survive more easily in planetary systems without high-mass planets.