Bringing The World Home To You

© 2024 WUNC North Carolina Public Radio
120 Friday Center Dr
Chapel Hill, NC 27517
919.445.9150 | 800.962.9862
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
WUNC End of Year - Make your tax-deductible gift!

Astronomers spot what appears to be a sun-like star eating an orbiting planet

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Good morning. I'm Michel Martin. It's a first for scientists - seeing a star gobbling up a planet. It was a gas giant about as big as Jupiter. In one big gulp, the star engulfed the planet, letting out a burst of light. The galactic feast took place between 10,000 and 15,000 years ago. Experts say Earth may suffer a similar fate one day. That's billions of years away. So like "The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy" says, don't panic.

It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.