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Scientists have spotted a distant star devouring a planet for the first time.
The star resides in the Taurus-Auriga constellation, which lies about 450 light-years from Earth.
Using NASA's Chandra X-Ray observatory, MIT researchers observed the star and discovered that she was in the process of becoming involved. darken.
This was due to a collision of two infant planet, which produced a cloud of gas and dust that temporarily obscured the light of the star.
(Image: Getty)
Hans Moritz Guenther, who led the study, said: "Computer simulations have long predicted that planets may fall into a young star, but we have never observed it before.) 19659002] "If our interpretation of the data is correct, it would be the first time we directly observe a young star devouring a planet or planets."
The researchers think that it may not be the first time
The team has already seen the star darken in 2011, 2014, 2016 and 2017 – which, according to them, could have been other examples of stars eating from other planets.
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Dr. Guenther said, "It's a speculation, but if you have a two-piece collision, it's likely that they'll end up in rogue orbits, which increases the likelihood that you'll be killed." They are touching something again. "
Researchers will continue to observe the star, and hope that the results will shed light on the formation of exoplanets.
Dr. Guenther added, "There is a lot of effort going into the study of exoplanets and their formation, so it is very important to see how young planets could be destroyed in interaction with their planet. host stars and other young planets, and what factors determine if they survive. "
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