Cosmic Collisions: How to Witness the Birth of Planets ⚡ экспресс
Planetary collisions — giant impacts — are a crucial stage in the formation of planets and moons. By modeling them on computers, scientists have shown: after an impact, the object in optical and near-infrared first brightens sharply, then fades over a period from a day to several years. The luminosity can reach a tenth of the Sun's. This means that sky surveys Gaia and LSST will be able to directly detect such catastrophes and estimate their frequency in the galaxy.
The birth of planets resembles the workings of a cosmic forge. Rocky blocks collide and fuse together. A powerful impact strikes a spark—material heats to white-hot and glows like cooling metal. Computer simulations show: the flash is visible from days to years, peaking at a tenth of the sun's light. Modern telescopes monitoring millions of stars can catch it. New sky surveys like Gaia and LSST will gather precise brightness data of stars. Scientists anticipate up to 14 such events—they will reveal how often worlds collide in the Milky Way.
🎯 The temperature at the impact site skyrockets to thousands of degrees in minutes—debris glows like a blacksmith's workpiece.
🎬 In Lars von Trier’s film ‘Melancholia,’ Earth collides with a rogue planet, producing a blinding flash akin to this effect.