Galactic gobble: Star swallows planet in one big gulp

Image caption: This illustration provided by Caltech / IPAC depicts a planet skimming the surface of its star. Astronomers reported their observations Wednesday, May 3, 2023, […] Image credit: K. Miller, R. Hurt / Caltech / IPAC via AP. Article by Marcia Dunn. Phys.org – May 6, 2023. Source: Nature.

For the first time, scientists have caught a star in the act of swallowing a planet—not just a nibble or bite, but one big gulp. Astronomers on Wednesday reported their observations of what appeared to be a gas giant around the size of Jupiter or bigger being eaten by its star. The sun-like star had been puffing up with old age for eons and finally got so big that it engulfed the close-orbiting planet. […]

Click here to view original web page at phys.org