International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/M. Garlick/M. Zamani
Artist Impression of a Star Devouring One of Its Planets
Astronomers using the Gemini South telescope in Chile, operated by NSF NOIRLab, have observed the first compelling evidence of a dying Sun-like star engulfing an exoplanet. The “smoking gun” of this event was seen in a long and low-energy outburst from the star — the telltale signature of a planet skimming along a star’s surface. This never-before-seen process may herald the ultimate fate of Earth when our own Sun nears the end of its life in about five billion years.
