Scientists have discovered new information about the Fomalhaut system, a star about 25 light-years from Earth. Astronomers have known for some time that the star has dust and debris around it, but researchers recently discovered that there are three distinct debris fields surrounding it.
One of the debris fields resembles our solar system’s asteroid belt, but is much larger than expected. This inner asteroid belt is about 10 times wider than astronomers thought.
However, the Fomalhaut system’s most striking feature is a tilted debris belt that is 23 degrees different from everything else in the star’s orbit. Scientists believe that this tilted debris belt may be the result of planets that have yet to be discovered.
Our solar system also has an outer debris ring similar to the Kuiper Belt. Scientists have named one feature of this outer debris the Great Dust Cloud, which may have formed when two space rocks collided with each other.
Scientists believe there may be three or more planets the size of Uranus and Neptune orbiting Fomalhout, and researchers are currently studying images from the James Webb Space Telescope to try to confirm their existence.
Scientists are excited about the prospect of discovering new planets in the Fomalhaut system, and they believe it could lead to a better view of how these planets form and how they evolve over time.