A team of Indian scientists led by Dr. Priyanka Chaturvedi has witnessed a rare celestial event – a star engulfing a Jupiter-sized planet. The event was captured using the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Astrosat satellite and the study was published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
The event occurred in a binary star system known as NGTS-10, located about 1,000 light-years away from Earth in the constellation of Hydra. The larger star in the system is about 20% larger and 30% more massive than the Sun, while the smaller star is about 10% smaller and 15% less massive than the Sun.
The team observed the system using the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UVIT) aboard the Astrosat satellite, which is capable of detecting ultraviolet radiation emitted by hot gases. They found that the larger star had consumed a Jupiter-sized planet that was orbiting it, leaving behind a trail of hot gas.
According to Dr. Chaturvedi, this is the first time that a star has been observed consuming a planet in the ultraviolet range. She added that the observation is important as it provides valuable insights into the formation and evolution of planetary systems.
The event is believed to have occurred when the planet’s orbit decayed due to the tidal forces exerted by the star. As a result, the planet got too close to the star and was pulled apart by its gravity, forming a disc of gas around the star. The gas disc is expected to eventually be absorbed by the star itself.
The discovery of this event has important implications for the study of exoplanets – planets that orbit stars outside our solar system. Exoplanets have been the subject of much interest in recent years, as they could potentially harbor life. However, the discovery of events such as the one observed by the Indian team highlights the dangers that some exoplanets face, and the need for further research into the formation and evolution of planetary systems.
In conclusion, the observation of a star engulfing a Jupiter-sized planet by a team of Indian scientists led by Dr. Priyanka Chaturvedi is a significant milestone in the study of exoplanets. It provides valuable insights into the formation and evolution of planetary systems and highlights the need for further research in this area. This discovery has opened up new avenues for astronomers to understand the complexities of the universe and its various phenomena.
