The Fate of Rocky Planets Near Stars Unveiled by Astronomers.

Astronomers have found a way to use the anomalies in the Kepler data, which appear to be rings of dust surrounding stars where planets should be, to understand some of the most mysterious and hard to detect planets in the universe. These anomalies are rocky planets in the process of being obliterated. The team of researchers released a paper detailing simulations of how this process could unfold. Additionally, the astronomers found that these debris trails can give us very important clues as to rocky planetary formation.