The James Webb Space Telescope has revealed new details about a planet’s dramatic end. Previously, scientists thought the planet was swallowed when its star expanded. But new data shows the planet actually spiraled into the star after its orbit slowly broke down.
This dying plunge caused a violent reaction. The planet hit the star’s atmosphere, heating up and shedding gas. Webb spotted a hot gas ring around the star and a growing cloud of cooler dust, left behind after the impact.
The star, located 12,000 light-years away in the Aquila constellation, is smaller and dimmer than our sun. The doomed planet was likely a giant, even bigger than Jupiter, and caused major damage as it crashed into the star.
Though Earth is safe for now, scientists say this gives us a glimpse of what may happen in other systems. About five billion years from now, the sun could expand and swallow inner planets like Mercury, Venus, or even Earth.