Astronomers witness star consuming planet in groundbreaking discovery.

Using the Zwicky Transient Facility and NASA’s NEOWISE observatory, scientists have directly observed an aging red giant star destroying a planet within its own star system for the first time. The planet was roughly the same size as Jupiter and orbited much closer to its host star than Mercury orbits our Sun. The event will provide astronomers with a glimpse into what the future of our solar system may look like when our Sun eventually absorbs Mercury, Venus, and possibly Earth. The research will help create a template for future studies that plan to investigate the absorption and destruction of planets by red giants.