First-ever observation of a star consuming a Jupiter-like planet.

Astronomers have potentially witnessed a sun-like star consuming a planet for the first time, providing insight into Earth's fate in four billion years when our sun swells to engulf our planet. During the "red giant" phase, stars may expand and cool, swallowing closely orbiting planets. The discovery was made by analyzing a burst of radiation dubbed ZTF SLRN-2020, which took place in 2020 in the Milky Way's disk about 12,000 light-years away, near the constellation Aquila. The scientists estimated the event released hydrogen equal to about 33 times the Earth's mass, as well as about 0.33 Earth-masses of dust.