Scientists Believe They’ve Witnessed ‘Planetary Suicide’ for the First Time

Two years ago, astronomers believe they detected a star devouring one of its planets. Now, new observations of the aftermath of same event from the James Webb Space Telescope have suggested a scenario previously only considered in the realms of science fiction: that a planet about the size of Jupiter self-destructed by heading straight into its parent star. The scientists in charge of the observation believe they witnessed the first “planetary suicide” in history. The only noted way for a star to consume its own planets is for the star to increase significantly in size. This happens when a main sequence star, like our Sun, runs out of hydrogen to fuse and swells to many times its original size, becoming a red giant. Experts are studying this process with interest because the solar system itself is likely to face it. In about 5 billion years, after exhausting the hydrogen in its core, the Sun will expand to 100 times its current radius, devouring nearby planets such as Mercury and Venu ... Read full article.