Scientists have only spotted this kind of activity - a fragment of a planet circling a white dwarf star - just once before. Their findings, published today in the journal Science, could provide a startling glimpse into our planet Earth's future. Scroll down for videoScientists have discovered a hunk of heavy iron and nickel that continues to orbit a dwarf star in the constellation Virgo. Additionally, planetesimals orbiting dwarf stars could potentially collide with one another, raising the possibility that they could combine to form a new planet. 'After the white dwarf cools down further, such a planet could maintain balmy conditions for billions of years.'

Source: Daily Mail April 04, 2019 23:48 UTC