A faint white dwarf star as well as the remains of its orbiting planetary system are over ten billion years old, according to a new estimate.
WDJ2147-4035 is the oldest dead star with an evolved planetary system found to-date.
A white dwarf is a star that has burnt up all of its fuel and shed its outer layers and is now undergoing a process of shrinking and cooling. During this process, any orbiting planets will be disrupted and in some cases destroyed, with their debris left to accrete onto the surface of the white dwarf.