Fomalhaut b facts for kids
Fomalhaut b is a mysterious object found near the bright star Fomalhaut. This star is about 25 light years away from Earth. A light-year is the huge distance light travels in one year! That's about 9.5 trillion kilometers (6 trillion miles).
Scientists first thought about the possibility of Fomalhaut b existing in 2008. Then, in 2012, they were able to see it for the first time. For a while, everyone believed it was an exoplanet. An exoplanet is simply a planet that orbits a star other than our Sun.
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What is Fomalhaut b?
For many years, Fomalhaut b was thought to be a planet orbiting Fomalhaut. Scientists even had ideas about what it might look like. However, by 2021, new observations changed their minds.
From Planet to Dust Cloud
Now, most scientists believe Fomalhaut b is not a planet at all. Instead, they think it's a huge cloud of dust. This dust cloud might be spreading out from a collision between two large icy objects, like asteroids, that crashed into each other.
Why the Change of Mind?
The main reason for this change is how Fomalhaut b behaves. Unlike a planet, it seems to be getting bigger and fainter over time. It also doesn't seem to follow a clear orbit around the star Fomalhaut. These actions are more like what you would expect from a cloud of dust and debris, not a solid planet.
Studying Fomalhaut b
Scientists use powerful telescopes like the Hubble Space Telescope to study objects like Fomalhaut b. These telescopes can see very far into space and help us understand what's out there. Even though Fomalhaut b turned out to be a dust cloud and not a planet, studying it still teaches us a lot about how star systems form and change.
Images for kids
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Comparison between the Solar System and the system around Fomalhaut
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Artistic rendition of Fomalhaut b as a planet revolving around its parent star, a model which has now been disproven
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Visualisation of Fomalhaut and Fomalhaut b (artist's impression)
