Star planet killers can be found before their ‘crimes’

Some space stars are widely known for destroying the planets around them without a trace. But now astronomers have found a way to spot a “killer star” before it can erase the signs of destruction. Stars can engulf their planets at various stages of their life cycle. When stars are near the end of their cycle, they swell and turn red, becoming giant or supergiant stars. At that moment, the planet or cosmic object that is nearby will be consumed.

So far the only evidence that a star has consumed one of its planets is the abundance of metals, i.e. elements heavier than helium, such as silicon, oxygen and carbon, essential for the growth of planets. Over time, the engulfed metals drift into the core of the star. Once deposited, these metals connect deep inside the star and no one will know where these elements came from. Astronomers believe this “cover-up” process takes billions of years. However, a new study has pointed out that this time may be shorter.

For each star, the estimate varies, since that answer depends on the star’s mass and how much planetary material it has consumed. But in general, astronomers point out that this process takes less than a billion years. Furthermore, the research has shown that there is no point in looking at a planet in isolation, it is necessary to observe binaries in which a star has significantly more metals than its companion. In these limited cases – binaries less than a billion years old – astronomers can finally identify the killer stars.

Even slightly more distant planets are impacted by this stellar growth, through a change in the gravitational landscape. The Solar System in which the Earth is inserted will also suffer this same fate in 4.5 billion years.

Stellar storms and planet formation

Young stars are also likely to consume the planets around them. The first days of the formation of a solar system are quite violent, because during stellar growth massive plasma storms are released which can reach other celestial bodies and influence their dynamics.

Planet formation is severely impaired during this period, as plasma storms are capable of destroying the elements needed to build worlds around stars. In other cases, an entire planet collides directly with the star and disappears completely in the blink of an eye.

The Star killers of planets post can be found before their “crimes” first appeared in Olhar Digital.

Source: Olhar Digital