Astronomers have made a groundbreaking discovery by observing a star engulfing a planet for the first time, providing insight into Earth’s potential future. Utilizing various telescopes, including the Zwicky Transient Facility at Caltech and NASA’s NEOWISE, researchers detected a significant outburst from a star located 12,000 light-years away in the constellation Aquila. This star brightened over 100 times within ten days before fading, indicating a planet’s demise. The star likely consumed a Jupiter-sized planet that spiraled into its atmosphere and core due to the star’s expansion as it nears the end of its life cycle. This event drew comparisons to Earth’s fate in approximately 5 billion years when our sun will similarly expand and consume the inner planets of the solar system. Lead researcher Kishalay De emphasized the excitement of witnessing a star in the act of planet consumption, a phenomenon previously observed only before or after it occurred. The study, which will be published in Nature, sheds light on stellar dynamics and the life cycle of stars, emphasizing the unique conditions that lead to this extraordinary event. This research was supported by NASA and the U.S. National Science Foundation, among other institutions.
