Unraveling the Fate of Planets in the Eagle Constellation and Beyond

 As a star exhausts its hydrogen supply for fusion in its core, it undergoes a dramatic transformation. First, the star collapses inward to initiate helium fusion, and then it expands massively, becoming a red giant. These red giants are anticipated to consume nearby planets as they enlarge, though this phenomenon has never been observed—until now. 

Researchers have recently detected an explosion from a red giant situated in the Eagle constellation. This star, located 12,000 light-years away, was seen rapidly brightening by 100 times within just 10 days before disappearing. The initial bright flash was followed by a cooler, longer-lasting signal, suggesting that a planet was being devoured.

Lead author Kishalay De, a postdoctoral fellow at MIT's Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, explained that the team was witnessing the final stages of planetary consumption. Although red giant explosions are common in binary star systems, this event did not resemble any known occurrences. When analyzed through infrared wavelengths, which detect cooler temperatures, the system appeared highly peculiar, as the strong signal indicated that the brightening star should have become hotter, not colder.

Researchers traced the signal to the cold dust of the exploding star, revealing that there was insufficient material for another star—it had to be a planet. The object was roughly the size of Jupiter or about one-thousandth the mass of the Sun. It spiraled toward the star as it expanded. De stated that this groundbreaking discovery allowed scientists to observe the "during" stage of a planet being engulfed by its star, providing valuable insights into the future of our own solar system.

In approximately 5 billion years, Mercury, Venus, and possibly Earth and Mars will face a similar fate as our Sun expands. De elaborated, "We are seeing the future of the Earth." If an extraterrestrial civilization were to observe our solar system from 10,000 light-years away during this event, they would witness the Sun brightening as it ejects material and forms dust around it before returning to its original state.