Astronomers and experts alike have recently made a conclusion about the disturbing secret of an unusual planetary system with a host star that is similar to Earth's sun. This study, as experts describe it, would somewhat provide with a concrete evidence that there is indeed interplanetary violence in the outer space and not just in movies. The study which was published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics suggests that the star's rare composition is in fact eating some its planets. Thus, astronomers are convinced that the real-life "Death Star" could potentially be used in studying how planetary systems evolve over time.
Death Star: How Far Is The Planet Earth From Being-Ingested?
In one of his statements reported by CBC News, study co-author Jacob Bean said that the good thing with their discovery is that it also shows that this doesn't mean that the sun will 'eat' the Earth any time soon. However, the study provides an indication that violent histories may be common for planetary systems, including our very own galaxy, he adds.
It was found that the first orbiting a star other than the sun known as exoplanets was actually discovered in 1995. Since then, astronomers have found more than two thousand exoplanets, but studying stars that are similar to our sun commonly referred to as solar twins and their connections to their planets is rare.
Furthermore, according to reports by Daily Mail, another co-author of the study, Megan Bedell, a UChicago doctoral student and the lead planet finder for the collaboration reveals that the team plans to study more stars like this to see whether this is a common outcome of the planet formation process. Moreover, experts have highly emphasized that although the discovery of the solar twin provides clues, researchers are careful to point out that conclusions can't be drawn from a single system.
Ultimately, scientists explain that stars with hot interiors, like the sun and this star, consume lithium over time. However, planets preserve lithium because their inner temperatures aren't as hot. Therefore, when a star engulfs a planet, the lithium from the planet stands out.
