Ancient star devours planet in unprecedented observation.

Astronomers have observed the first direct evidence of a dying, ancient sun-like star devouring an exoplanet using the Gemini South telescope in Chile. The outburst from the star is a signature of a planet skimming a star's surface. Such events are estimated to occur only a few times each year across the entire Milky Way. The work was published in the journal Nature and researchers are searching for similar events happening elsewhere in the cosmos with improved metrics.