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Anexoasteroid,exo-asteroid orextrasolar asteroid is anasteroid located outside theSolar System.[1]
Scientists propose that the formation of exoasteroids often results from the fragmentation ofexoplanets bygas giants. These exoasteroids are presumed to be the remnants of smaller celestial bodies that endured the demise of their parent exoplanet. Similar processes are hypothesized to have occurred during theformation of our Solar System.[2][3]
NASA has conducted studies confirming that the presence ofasteroid belts around stars is a common phenomenon in nearly any solar system hosting planets comparable in size to theouter andinner planets of ourSolar System.[3]
In December 1988, AmericanastrophysicistsBenjamin Zuckerman andEric Becklin detected a substantialcircumstellar disc encircling thewhite dwarf starG 29-38, stemming from a near-infrared survey of 200 white dwarfs.[4] Zuckerman and Becklin conducted further investigations on the white dwarf star, uncovering that the circumstellar disc emits notable radiation within the 2 to 5micrometer range. This discovery suggests potential interactions between exoasteroids andradiant matter, possibly leading to their ejection into space.[5] Subsequent observations in 2004 by theSpitzer Space Telescope revealed the presence of a dust cloud surrounding G 29-38. This phenomenon is believed to have originated from the disintegration of anexocomet or exoasteroid as it interacted with the white dwarf.[6]
In May 2023, theJames Webb Space Telescope provided images ofFomalhaut,[7] a young star positioned 25light-years (ly) away from Earth. Scientists analyzed these images and conducted simulations and tests on Fomalhaut's asteroid belt, proposing that it likely formed due to collisions involving larger celestial bodies.[7][clarification needed]
Another notable star hosting an asteroid belt is the white dwarf starWD 0145+234. It is hypothesized that WD 0145+234 once hosted an exoasteroid or exoplanet in orbit around it, which was disrupted, leading to the formation of a substantial exoasteroid belt. Due to the star's dimensions, scientists infer that theaccretion disk surrounding WD 0145+234 is highly active, resulting in the regular disruption of exoasteroids by the star's gravitational pull. In 2018, astronomers observed a 10% increase in the star'smid-infrared light, indicative of the recent destruction of an exoasteroid, which led to the formation of a cloud of metallic dust partially obscuring WD 0145+234 from Earth's view.[8]
In 2013, astronomers discovered fragmented remnants of an exoasteroid orbiting the starGD 61. Scientists determined that the asteroid possessed asurface rich in water, comprising approximately 26% water by mass, a composition akin to the surface water, primarily in the form ofice, found on thedwarf planetCeres. It suggests the potential existence of an exoplanet withliquid water around the star at some point in its history. It is proposed that the asteroid met its demise due to interactions with its star, leading to its fragmentation and subsequent formation of an asteroid belt around the star.
Following this discovery, scientists used theCosmic Origins Spectrograph aboard theHubble Space Telescope to analyze the chemical composition of the asteroid; it showed the presence ofmagnesium,silicon,iron, andoxygen within the asteroid's water.[9]
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