Overview

• NASA's James Webb Space Telescope observed ZTF SLRN-2020, the first recorded instance of a planet being swallowed by its host star 12,000 light-years away in the Milky Way.
• Contrary to earlier assumptions, the planet's orbit decayed over time, leading to its engulfment, rather than the star expanding into a red giant.
• Webb's MIRI and NIRSpec instruments captured a dual aftermath: a cooler dust cloud and a hot disk of molecular gas, including carbon monoxide, around the star.
• This groundbreaking observation provides new insights into the ultimate fate of planetary systems, including potential parallels with our own solar system's future.
• Researchers plan to use upcoming observatories like the Vera C. Rubin Observatory and NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope to identify similar events.