Rocky Planet Formation - Stockillustratie

SDSS 1557 is a binary star system, 1000 light-years away, consisting of a white dwarf orbiting a brown dwarf. Astronomers have found that the system is surrounded by a narrow disc or ring rich in rocky and metallic elements, which they suggest are in the process of coming together (accreting) to form new planets. Its the first time evidence of rocky planet formation has been seen in a binary star system.