Star Devours Planet in Rare Cosmic Event.
Scientists have observed a star swallowing a gas giant planet around the size of Jupiter or bigger, in a first-of-its-kind observation. The star had been expanding for eons and finally engulfed the close-orbiting planet. The event occurred between 10,000 and 15,000 years ago near the Aquila constellation. The swallow itself was brief, occurring in one fell swoop, but the star's lifetime is billions of years. Astronomers suspect thousands of planets around other stars will suffer the same fate, including our solar system.