James Webb telescope reveals 'cataclysmic' asteroid collision in nearby star system

The violent impact occurred recently in Beta Pictoris, a star system located 63 light-years away in the constellation Pictoris. Beta Pictoris is a baby compared to our own solar system — having existed for only 20 million years compared with our system's venerable 4.5 billion years. It was first detected in 1983 by NASA's Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) spacecraft and is thought to have formed from the shockwave of a nearby supernova. While the young star system currently contains at …