In 2020, astronomers observed for the first time what appeared to be a star engulfing one of its orbiting planets. But now, new evidence shows something else actually happened.
A planet certainly met its demise at the behest of its star, but now the way it happened looks much different. Rather than this star expanding, it drew the planet closer and closer until it was consumed, new evidence from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) reveals. This novel event serves as an equally fascinating first — even if it's not what astronomers initially believed it to be. The researchers published their findings April 10 in The Astrophysical Journal.
