DEATH BECOMES US!
Astronomers are planning a hunt for the relics of long-dead planets.
They just found a big clue in that search: The cores of dead planets can “broadcast” radio waves for up to a billion years, according to a new study published by the Royal Astronomical Society.
The waves are caused by interactions between a dead planet’s core and the magnetic field of its dead star, known as a white dwarf.
After a star explodes, it often strips the surrounding planets of their atmospheres and outer layers, leaving just the metallic inner core. That metal conducts electricity, creating a circuit between the planet core and the dead star that produces radiation in the form of radio waves.
Scientists have known for decades that these planetary remains can emit radio waves. But this is the first research to establish a lifetime for those broadcasts - and it reveals that the signals last long enough for researchers on Earth to detect and study them.
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