Astronomers have found the first evidence of a planet that formed around a dead star. The potential ‘second-generation’ planet orbits the white dwarf HS 0209+0832.

The finding comes from a study in the journal Nature Astronomy, led by University of Warwick astronomer Jamie Williams. The team examined the chemical fingerprints in the white dwarf’s atmosphere.

They found unusual amounts of heavy elements, including copper, zinc and niobium. Niobium was present at more than 1,000 times the level seen in the Sun, and had never before been found in a white dwarf.

The composition matches material created during a star’s death. The researchers say this suggests a planet assembled from the debris after the star had already died.

More than 95 per cent of all stars will eventually become white dwarfs. Independent astronomers called the result a paradigm shift, saying it raises the possibility that new planets could one day form in our own solar system after the Sun dies.