Ghoulish Star

Radiation from a dead star blasts away a small companion--a possible remnant of a planet--in this artist's concept. Astronomers have discovered that many of the dead stellar cores known as white dwarfs are ripping apart their planets and asteroids. Some have even digested some of the remains of their former planets, "polluting" their surfaces with heavy elements. This field of study is known as necroplanetology. [CfA/Mark A. Garlick]