Nearby star may have its own asteroid belt
By Ron Cowen
Observations of warm dust swaddling a young, nearby star suggest that astronomers have found the first asteroid belt outside the solar system. And where there are asteroids, there could be planets.
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Several features of the dust surrounding the star Zeta Leporis indicate that the particles were generated by a massive collection of asteroids smashing into each other, says Christine H. Chen of the University of California, Los Angeles.