Two years prior, astronomers detected what appeared to be a star consuming one of its planets. Recent observations from the James Webb Space Telescope have suggested an extraordinary event: a planet approximately the size of Jupiter may have self-destructed by colliding with its parent star. This event is believed to be the first recorded “planetary suicide.”
Typically, a star consumes its planets by expanding in size. This occurs when a main sequence star, similar to the Sun, depletes its hydrogen and expands, becoming a red giant. Scientists are keenly studying this process as the solar system is anticipated to undergo a similar transformation in about five billion years. At that time, the Sun will expand significantly, potentially engulfing nearby planets such as Mercury and Venus.
When a star absorbs a planet, Earth-based observatories detect a brief increase in luminosity, known as a nova. In 2023, the Gemini South observatory identified a nova 12,000 light-years away, initially attributed to a red giant consuming a nearby planet. However, subsequent analysis using the James Webb Space Telescope revealed that the star remained in its main sequence phase, contradicting the red giant theory. This evidence suggests the nova resulted from a collision with a Jupiter-sized body.
A study published in the Astrophysical Journal presents this nova as compelling evidence of a planet being consumed by its host star. Previous research, published in Nature, had suggested planetary engulfment, but the new study provides additional evidence gathered through spectroscopy 820 days after peak brightness. This data offered insights into the star’s luminosity and ejected debris, indicating that a Jupiter-sized planet, orbiting at a distance comparable to Mercury’s, approached its star and was destroyed by its outer layers.
While planets moving towards destruction are rare, scientists propose that similar gravitational forces affecting Earth’s tides may have influenced this planet’s demise. Over millions of years, gravitational interactions with nearby celestial bodies could have destabilized the planet’s orbit, leading it to collide with the star.
Not all in the scientific community agree with this explanation. Some suggest that the star’s apparent youth might be misleading, possibly due to a surrounding dust cloud affecting its luminosity. If the star’s characteristics differ from current assumptions, alternative explanations for the nova could emerge.
Further observations with more advanced telescopes aim to clarify the star’s brightness and provide additional evidence. The potential discovery of more “suicide” planets in the future could suggest that this phenomenon is more common than currently thought.
This story was initially published in WIRED en Español and translated from Spanish.
