The star spotted a planet the size of Jupiter “devouring”

Astronomers managed to capture a star similar to the Sun “devouring” a planet the size of Jupiter, 13 thousand light-years from Earth, in the Milky Way. The study has been published in the scientific journal natureOn Wednesday, March 3, researchers used NASA’s Nuclear spacecraft, as well as ground-based telescopes.

The study describes the timing of the phenomenon. Ten days before its disappearance, the planet became 100 times brighter than usual. In this way, the device was able to take a series of photos.

A star-devouring planet may help further understand these phenomena

According to the researchers, when the “fuel” in the core of a sun-like star runs out, it begins to swell and shrink away from its nearest planets. In this way he devours them.

in the process described natureAtmospheric drag slowed the planet, shrinking its orbit and thus sending it below the star’s visible surface, like a meteor into Earth’s atmosphere.

The energy transfer caused the star to temporarily increase in size and become very bright. However, recent observations indicate that it regained its size and brightness before it devoured the planet.

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