What can an exoplanet falling into its own star tell astronomers about the formation and evolution of planetary systems? This is what a recent study published in The Astrophysical Journal hopes to address as a team of researchers investigated how a Jupiter-sized exoplanet slowly orbited closer to its star before being engulfed by it, resulting in a ring of debris and a massive cloud. This study has the potential to help astronomers better understand the interactions between planets and their stars and what this could mean for finding life beyond Earth.
For the study, the researchers used NASA’s powerful James Webb Space Telescope to observe a brightening event involving a main-sequence star with the event officially being labeled as ZTF SLRN-2020 (Zwicky Transient Facility subluminous red nova). This study builds on a 2023 study published in Nature that investigated this same star after the brightening event and concluded that this was a Sun-like star starting to transition into a red giant over hundreds of thousands of years and engulfed a Jupiter-sized planet during this transition.
However, the researchers for this most recent study have hypothesized the planet merely orbited so close to its star that it fell into the star itself, resulting in the brightening event. Additionally, large amounts of gas and dust were discharged into the surrounding regions, including creating a ring of debris orbiting the star and a large dust cloud, as well.
Arist’s impression of the aftermath from a planet falling into its star, resulting in a ring of debris and a cloud of dust encircling the star. (Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, Ralf Crawford (STScI))
“Because this is such a novel event, we didn’t quite know what to expect when we decided to point this telescope in its direction,” said Dr. Ryan Lau, who is an assistant astronomer at NSF NOIRLab (National Science Foundation National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory) and lead author of the study. “With its high-resolution look in the infrared, we are learning valuable insights about the final fates of planetary systems, possibly including our own.”
What new discoveries about planet-engulfing stars will astronomers make in the coming years and decades? Only time will tell, and this is why we science!
As always, keep doing science & keep looking up!
Sources: The Astrophysical Journal, Nature, NASA JPL