Hubble Detects Collisions Near Fomalhaut, Not Exoplanets

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has captured evidence of two massive collisions between space rocks near the young star Fomalhaut, resolving a long-standing astronomical puzzle and offering fresh insights into planet formation. The observations, detailed in a study published Thursday in the journal Science, reveal that what scientists once mistook for planets were actually expanding clouds of dust from these rare cosmic impacts, located just 25 light-years from Earth in the constellation Piscis Austrinus.

The saga began nearly two decades ago. In 2004 and 2005, Hubble detected a bright spot orbiting Fomalhaut, which researchers initially identified as Fomalhaut b, a potential exoplanet larger than Jupiter. Follow-up observations fueled debate: some saw signs of a planet, while others suspected a debris cloud. By 2023, when astronomers revisited the system using the same Hubble instrument, Fomalhaut b had vanished entirely. In its place emerged a new bright spot, dubbed Fomalhaut cs2, in a nearby location.

Study lead author Paul Kalas, an astronomer at the University of California, Berkeley, described the discovery as startling. "In 2023, we used the same instrument we'd used...