Back
28· Cooling
Health & Science4h 5m ago
A 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.
Archive Window: 7 Days Left
1,300 light-years away (TOI-5882 star system)
Who
Brooke Kotten, Seth Jacobson, Melinda Soares-Furtado, astronomers from the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, University of Wisconsin
What
A 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.
When
Mon, 15 Jun 2026 18:40:02 GMT · 4h 5m ago
Where
1,300 light-years away (TOI-5882 star system) ·
Why
The star TOI-5882 has an unusually high lithium concentration, and planets are heavily enriched in lithium, leading astronomers to conclude the star engulfed a planet.
The Frontline Impact
How this affects you
This discovery provides a method for studying planetary engulfment events after they occur, contributing to a better understanding of how common planetary engulfment is and the different ways it can happen in the universe, including the future of our own solar system when the sun expands.
Story chain
3 events in this thread- Health & Science4h 5m 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.Open article
- Health & Science4h 5m 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
- Currently Reading4h 5m 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.