For the first time, astronomers have observed the lingering radiance from a cataclysmic collision between two colossal planets that occurred in a distant, sun-like star system.

This event is thought to have obliterated a pair of ice giant planets that collided, generating a shower of debris and giving rise to a hot, spinning object, possibly hundreds of times larger than Earth.

“It would be very spectacular,” said Dr Matthew Kenworthy, a co-lead author on the study at the Leiden Observatory in the Netherlands. “The energy of the collision would turn the remnant into something resembling a star, fainter than the main star in the system but about seven times larger in size, visible all through the rest of the stellar system.”

This discovery materialized when an amateur astronomer responded to a social media post by Kenworthy concerning a star known as ASASSN-21qj, The Guardian reported.

Kenworthy was on the hunt for shadows cast by enormous planetary rings when they pass in front of their host star.

ASASSN-21qj, located 1,800 light years away from Earth, captured his attention due to its abrupt and unexplained dimming in December 2021.

Written by staff