Astronomers observe star devouring planet. The Earth's inevitable end.

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Astronomers observe star devouring planet

The Earth's inevitable end

Foto: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/M. Garlick/M. Zamani

For the first time, astronomers believe they have observed the dying star ZTF SLRN-2020 consuming a planet that was previously orbiting around it. The star in question is approximately 10 billion years old and located in the constellation Aquila, around 12,000 light-years away from us.

The event is said to have occurred 10,000-15,000 years ago and was discovered after an outburst from the star that was 100 times brighter than its usual brightness. The outburst was observed for ten days and astronomers are confident that the star consumed a planet that was orbiting around it.

The future of our own sun and Earth

In around 5 billion years, our own sun will become a red giant and a similar fate awaits Earth.
"We are seeing the future of the Earth. If some other civilization was observing us from 10,000 light-years away while the sun was engulfing the Earth, they would see the sun suddenly brighten as it ejects some material, then form dust around it, before settling back to what it was," says Kishalay De from MIT's Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research.

Previous observations of planets too close to their star

Astronomers have previously observed how the star Wasp-12 slowly "licks" the planet Wasp-12 b that orbits around it. However, what has now been observed is something completely different.
"This is a different sort of eating. This star gobbled a whole planet in one gulp. In contrast, WASP-12 b and the other hot Jupiters we have previously studied are being delicately licked and nibbled," says Carole Haswell, an astrophysicist at the British Open University, to CBS News.

eurekalert.org

Cars,

astronomers, dying star, planet, Aquila, Earth's future

Via cbsnews.com