NOIRLab: Astronomers Witness Star Devouring Planet

Find out the latest thinking about our universe.
Post Reply
User avatar
bystander
Apathetic Retiree
Posts: 21571
Joined: Mon Aug 28, 2006 2:06 pm
Location: Oklahoma

NOIRLab: Astronomers Witness Star Devouring Planet

Post by bystander » Wed May 03, 2023 5:07 pm

Astronomers Witness Star Devouring Planet:
Possible Preview of the Ultimate Fate of Earth

NOIRLab Science Release | Gemini South | 2023 May 03

Gemini South captures first direct evidence of an exoplanet being swallowed by an ancient Sun-like star

Astronomers using the Gemini South telescope in Chile, operated by NSF’s NOIRLab, have observed the first 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.

By studying countless stars at various stages of their evolution, astronomers have been able to piece together an understanding of the life cycle of stars and how they interact with their surrounding planetary systems as they age. This research confirms that when a Sun-like star nears the end of its life, it expands anywhere from 100 to 1000 times its original size, eventually engulfing the system’s inner planets. Such events are estimated to occur only a few times each year across the entire Milky Way. Though past observations have confirmed the aftermath of planetary engulfments, astronomers have never caught one in the act, until now.

With the power of the Gemini South Adaptive Optics Imager (GSAOI) on Gemini South, one half of the International Gemini Observatory, operated by NSF’s NOIRLab, astronomers have observed the first direct evidence of a dying star expanding to engulf one of its planets. Evidence for this event was found in a telltale “long and low-energy” outburst from a star in the Milky Way about 13,000 light-years from Earth. This event, the devouring of a planet by an engorged star, likely presages the ultimate fate of Mercury, Venus, and Earth when our Sun begins its death throes in about five billion years. ...

Star Eats Planet, Brightens Dramatically
W.M. Keck Observatory | California Institute of Technology | 2023 May 03

Caught in the Act: Astronomers Detect a Star Devouring a Planet
NASA | JPL-Caltech | The NEOWISE Project | 2023 May 03

An infrared transient from a star engulfing a planet ~ Kishalay De et al
Last edited by bystander on Wed May 03, 2023 9:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Added NEOWISE, JPL, Caltech, and Keck article links
Know the quiet place within your heart and touch the rainbow of possibility; be
alive to the gentle breeze of communication, and please stop being such a jerk.
— Garrison Keillor

Post Reply