Did That Star Eat A Planet? Rocky Elements Could Tell The Tale

(Before It's News)

It’s amazing what astronomers can figure out from afar, and this now might include whether a star ate a few planets sometime during its history. Through looking at the predicted elements that make up a star, and any changes, this could be a key to figuring out if any planets were swallowed up by the star.

“Imagine that the star originally formed rocky planets like Earth. Further, imagine that it also formed gas giant planets like Jupiter,” stated Trey Mack, a graduate student in astronomy at Vanderbilt University who led the research.

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© Elizabeth Howell for Universe Today, 2014. |
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