Scientists have made an unprecedented discovery, capturing a star in the act of devouring a planet. This is not just a small bite, but a massive gulp that the star took. The astronomers observed a gas giant, similar in size to Jupiter, being swallowed by its sun-like star. This event provides a glimpse into what will happen to our own planet in the future when our sun expands and consumes the inner planets.
The star in question had been expanding for a long time and eventually became so large that it engulfed the nearby planet. The incident occurred between 10,000 and 15,000 years ago near the Aquila constellation when the star was around 10 billion years old. As the planet was consumed, there was a sudden burst of light followed by a long-lasting emission of dust in the form of cold infrared energy.
While there have been previous indications of stars nibbling at planets and the aftermath of such actions, this is the first time that the actual consumption has been observed. The study, published in the journal Nature, reveals that Massachusetts Institute of Technology researcher Kishalay De noticed the luminous outburst while analyzing sky scans. Further investigation confirmed that the star had indeed devoured its planet.
The researchers estimate that the swallowing process was relatively brief, given the lifespan of a star. It happened in a single event, rather than gradually over time. The findings have been deemed “plausible” by other astrophysicists, such as Carole Haswell from Britain’s Open University. Haswell led a team in 2010 that used the Hubble Space Telescope to observe a star in the process of consuming its planet and compared it to delicate licking and nibbling.
It is unknown whether there are other planets orbiting this star at a safer distance. If there are, the researchers speculate that they may have thousands of years before they become the star’s next victims.
Now equipped with a better understanding of what to look for, scientists will continue to search for more instances of cosmic consumption. They anticipate that thousands of planets around other stars will suffer a similar fate, including our own solar system eventually.
This discovery serves as a reminder of the transience of our existence and the impermanence of the structures we have built. Everything we see around us will eventually be gone in an instant.
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