Astronomers have made a groundbreaking discovery by directly observing a star named ZTF SLRN-2020, approximately 12,000 light-years away, engulfing its inner planet, which is comparable to Jupiter. The star, roughly 10 billion years old, is undergoing its natural aging process, inflating as it evolves into a red giant and drawing its planet closer. As the planet skimmed the star’s surface, friction caused it to spiral inward until it ultimately plunged into the star’s core, triggering a significant increase in brightness—over a hundredfold. This phenomenon was initially detected by the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) and was later confirmed through observations from the W.M. Keck Observatory and NASA’s NEOWISE mission, which provided infrared data indicating dust formation as the planet disintegrated. This marks the first clear evidence of a star consuming a planet, filling a gap in our understanding of planetary systems, including our own sun, which is expected to undergo a similar fate in about 5 billion years. The findings signify a critical advancement in astrophysics, helping researchers comprehend the life cycles of stars and planetary systems. The research has been published in the journal Nature.
