Cannibalism in planetary systems are rare, but a planetary system with a deadly host star has been located which ate up some of its inner planets. The system’s host star has been christened as HIP68468 and looking at its composition, it seems that it has gobbled a few of its members.
The latest discovery has revealed a new planetary system which has a star which is much similar to our Sun. Poring over the composition, researchers came to the conclusion that the central star of the system could have eaten up its inner planets. The study which was published in the Journal “Astronomy and Astrophysics” can provide new clues to the process of planetary evolutions.
However, it does not mean that our Sun could one day gobble the Earth or the inner planets anytime sooner. However, it does hint that planetary systems have a very violent histories and our planetary system is no different. Since the discovery of the first planet orbiting a star in 1995, astronomers have identified more than 2000 exoplanets which also includes some extremely rare planets which orbit a star similar to Earth’s Sun.
The HIP68458 is about 300 light years away, and it is being studied by scientists affiliated with the University of Chicago as a part of a project which envisaged finding out planet which orbit solar twins.
However, co-author of the study, Megan Bedell has given a hint of caution while drawing conclusions after studying a single system and more such studies must be done to confirm that this is the outcome of the planet formation process. Describing the study of the star as a forensic analysis of a dying star which is much akin to our Sun, It will deepen our understanding of how planetary systems evolve and end.
Analysis of the particular star’s composition has revealed that it contains four times more lithium than what can be expected from a star six billion years old. These elements and a lot of other elements which includes metals commonly found on rocky planets have been discovered.
