For the first time, scientists watched a dying star swallow a planet whole

Astronomers have spotted a star devouring one of its planets for the first time. It is a stunning preview of our own planet's fate, when, in roughly 5 billion years time, Earth too will likely be engulfed by our rapidly expanding sun. The distant planet met its gory demise 13,000 light-years from Earth around a star that had quickly ballooned up to thousands of times its original size. Astronomers witnessed the hapless planet’s death as a distinctive white-hot flash of light that grew in intensity over 10 days. By studying...