Back
28· Cooling
Health & Science2h 42m 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.
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 · 2h 42m 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 Reading2h 42m 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 & Science2h 42m 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 & Science2h 42m 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
Verified Sources & Citations
Credibility ratings reflect the AI ingestion pipeline's assessment of source provenance.