Scientists Believe They’ve Witnessed ‘Planetary Suicide’ for the First Time
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Summary
A star observed 12,000 light years away was initially thought to have grown into a red giant, swallowing one of its planets, but the James Webb Space Telescope has since found it to be continuing to fuse hydrogen and therefore not a red giant.
The hypothesis is that a planet the size of Jupiter, orbiting at the same distance as Mercury, had its orbit destabilised over millions of years by gravitational forces from the star, pulling it towards the star until it collapsed.
The observation has been labelled the first instance of planetary suicide and while the explanation is not unanimous, further observations with more powerful telescopes are expected to provide more clarity.
In around 5 billion years, the Sun will expand to 100 times its current radius and swallow Mercury and Venus.
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