Planetary collision near Gaia20ehk may mirror Earth's Moon formation
Astronomers have captured signs of a catastrophic collision between two planets orbiting Gaia20ehk, a sunlike star roughly 11,000 light-years away; the event, inferred from dips in visible light and a surge in infrared emission, suggests a planet-on-planet smash and may mirror the giant impact that formed Earth’s Moon, providing a rare look at planet formation and hinting Rubin Observatory could find more such events in the next decade.