Cosmic Origins Spectrograph

  • Hubble Telescope Reveals White Dwarf Consuming Pluto-Like Icy World: Implications for Habitable Exoplanets

    Hubble Telescope Reveals White Dwarf Consuming Pluto-Like Icy World: Implications for Habitable Exoplanets

    Sep 26, 2025 07:40 pm CST

    Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope have discovered a white dwarf star consuming the remains of a Pluto-like icy world, revealing high concentrations of nitrogen consistent with icy dwarf planets. This finding provides evidence that water-rich bodies exist in other planetary systems and supports theories about how habitable planets acquire essential water and organic compounds necessary for life's development.