In a ground-breaking discovery, astronomers have directly observed a planet being swallowed by its own star.
This is the first time such an event has been recorded in astronomical history. The star lies around 12,000 light years away in the constellation Aquila.
And the planet it ate was Jupiter-like. This observation is special because it’s a glimpse into the future of our solar system.
As the Sun approaches the end of its life cycle and transforms into a red giant, it will expand to such an extent that it is expected to engulf the inner planets, including Mercury, Venus, and even Earth. So this discovery can contribute to a more precise forecast of the future of our solar system.
But the question is that how did astronomers make this spectacular discovery?
How are they so sure that it’s a star eating a planet instead of some other catastrophic event in space?
Finally, and most importantly, why is this discovery so critical to astronomy?