You just ate that planet, didn’t you? - Technology Org

The groundbreaking discovery from May 2023, providing the first direct evidence of a star engulfing a planet, continues to reshape our understanding of cosmic fates. Astronomers observed a star about 12,000 light-years away brightening dramatically before cooling, a tell-tale sign of it swallowing a gas giant roughly the size of Jupiter. This celestial meal, pinpointed by the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF), finally offered a real-time glimpse into a process previously only theorized. This rare event, designated ZTF SLRN-2020, happened when a dying star entered its red giant phase, expanding so much it consumed a nearby exoplanet in a fiery embrace. The observation was critical because it allowed scientists to analyze the star's sudden luminosity changes, or 'light curve,' and the unique spectroscopic data from the material expelled during the planetary consumption. Such direct evidence confirms long-held theories about stellar evolution and the ultimate destiny of planetary systems, including our own, reminding us that even Earth will eventually face a similar fiery end as our Sun becomes a red giant. Scientists are now using this invaluable data to refine models of stellar engulfment and predict the fates of other exoplanet. Ongoing research is exploring chemical signatures in stars that indicate past planetary ingestion and how swallowed planets can even spin up stars, altering their rotation. This groundbreaking observation sets a new benchmark for understanding planetary destruction and the cosmic cycle, with future missions expected to detect more of these transient events, offering further insights into the complex dance between stars and their planets as they evolve.