DEAD STAR

This artist's concept obtained from Nasa on April 6, depicts a type of dead star called a pulsar and the surrounding disk of rubble discovered by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. The pulsar, called 4U 0142+61, was once a massive star until about 100,000 years ago when it blew up in a supernova explosion and scattered dusty debris into space. Planets may form from material spewed from the explosive death of a star, US astronomers said. PHOTO: AFP