Rare Discovery of a Disrupted Planet

A new discovery has illustrated that a disrupted planet is consuming one or more planets into a cloud of gas and dust. This distant star is called RZ Picseum.

The present discovery may throw light on a brief but eruptive period in the history of many solar systems, including earth. RZ Pisceum, the material near the sun-like star is being slowly pulled apart that is creating a small circle of debris. That is about the same distance from the star as the planet Mercury's orbit is from the sun. On the basis of the observations made about the star, it seems either there is a fairly massive, gaseous planet that is being pulled apart by the star. It may also be possible that they are two gas-rich planets that have collided and been torn apart. The analysis of the star's light also helped to understand the amount of lithium in the star. It marked that the star is young and of the age of 30 million to 50 million years. A star's age can be estimated using lithium levels because the element declines with time. It helps to understand why some young solar systems survive and some do not.

By: Anita Aishvarya

Content: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/12/171221160737.htm