Seems like space holds more than enough mysteries to keep all of us studying for a very long time! That's a pretty cool thought, don't you think?
The Vanishing Stardust
TYC 8241 2652 is located 450 light years away in the constellation Centaurs. It is believed to be around the same size as our sun – but a mere child, at 10 million years old, compared to our 4.5 billion-year-old star. From 1983 to 2008, astronomers searched a bright ring of dust around the star for possible planet formation, believing they were getting some insight into how our own solar system formed. But when the star was due for a check up in early 2009, astronomers were astonished: when they looked through their telescopes, they saw nothing but the star itself. The once-visible, glowing disk of dust was gone. It did not leave behind any planets, or any signs as to where it had gone; it had quite simply vanished. Scientists were baffled. When asked about it, astronomer Carl Melis simply stated, “We don’t have a really satisfactory explanation to address what happened around this star.”
We may have to drop by Dizzy Dick's house and borrow his big telescope to check out some of the other mysteries that hang around the endless heavens above us. Think he would mind?
We'll try having our coffee out on the patio this morning. I only hope the wind doesn't pick up again!
