Back
28· Cooling
Health & Science6h 23m ago
A team of astronomers has shown that TOI-5882, a sun-like star 1,300 light-years away, has likely eaten one of its planets, evidenced by an unusually high lithium concentration.
Archive Window: 7 Days Left
1,300 light-years away (TOI-5882)
Who
Brooke Kotten, Seth Jacobson, Melinda Soares-Furtado, astronomers from the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, and the University of Wisconsin
What
A team of astronomers has shown that TOI-5882, a sun-like star 1,300 light-years away, has likely eaten one of its planets, evidenced by an unusually high lithium concentration.
When
Mon, 15 Jun 2026 18:40:02 GMT · 6h 23m ago
Where
1,300 light-years away (TOI-5882) ·
Why
Planetary material is heavily enriched in lithium; when a star engulfs a planet, the star's lithium concentration increases.
The Frontline Impact
How this affects you
This discovery offers new methods for studying planetary engulfment events in space, which helps astronomers understand how common these events are and their mechanisms. It also provides insight into the potential future of our own solar system, as our sun is predicted to engulf inner planets when it becomes a red giant.
Story chain
3 events in this thread- Currently Reading6h 23m agoA team of astronomers has shown that TOI-5882, a sun-like star 1,300 light-years away, has likely eaten one of its planets, evidenced by an unusually high lithium concentration.
- Health & Science6h 23m agoA team of astronomers, led by Brooke Kotten, has shown that TOI-5882—a sunlike star located some 1,300 light-years away—has likely eaten one of its planets.Open article
- Health & Science6h 23m agoA team of astronomers has shown that TOI-5882—a sunlike star located some 1,300 light-years away—has likely eaten one of its planets.Open article