London:Astronomers have identified a rare type of planet that may have formed from the material shed by a dying star, a finding that could significantly impact our understanding of planetary formation and evolution.

According to Iraqi News Agency, the British newspaper The Independent reported that the newfound celestial body is likely a “second-generation planet,” arising from material expelled by a star nearing the end of its life cycle.

Jamie Williams, a researcher at the University of Warwick and leader of the study team, emphasized the rarity of such a planet. She explained that discovering a planet orbiting a white dwarf was unexpected, as it resembles finding a world born from the remains of the star it once orbited.

While similar planets have been detected around pulsars—ultra-dense stars—this discovery may be the first to involve a second-generation planet orbiting a white dwarf, the remnant core of a star that has burned out its fuel.

The discovery is significant because white dwarfs are more common in the universe than pulsars. This suggests the potential existence of many more planets formed from stellar remnants than previously thought, providing new opportunities to study planetary formation in systems with evolved stars.