GD 362

GD 362 is a white dwarf star about 183 light-years from Earth. It is notable for having a high concentration of metals in its atmosphere, which is unusual because a white dwarf's strong gravity should pull heavy elements downward quickly. This pollution is explained by a surrounding ring of dust, discovered through infrared observations, with a size comparable to Saturn's rings. The dust and atmospheric metals likely originated from a rocky asteroid roughly 200 km in diameter that was torn apart by tidal forces between 100,000 and 1 million years ago. The asteroid's composition, inferred from spectra, resembles Earth's crust, suggesting the star may once have hosted an Earth-like planet before its red giant phase.