One hungry star!
Observations from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have added a surprising twist to what scientists believed was the first star seen swallowing a planet.
Roughly 10,000 light-years from Earth, the new data suggests that tidal forces, not stellar evolution, may be the real cause behind the dramatic event.
Scientists estimate that the planet was about the size of Jupiter, orbiting even closer to its star than Mercury does to our Sun.
The planet is believed to have been from a class called "hot Jupiters,” or gas giants at high temperatures in a tight orbit around their host star.
Colette Salyk, an Associate Professor of astronomy on the Maria Mitchell Chair at Vassar College, and co-author of the new paper, explained, “If a planet gets close enough to a star, then they both experience tidal forces, and that same thing happens with black holes.”
She added that our own solar system is safe from such events, as none of the planets orbit close enough to the Sun to be affected by those extreme gravitational forces.
The Zwicky Transient Facility, based at Palomar Observatory in California, captures essential images of the observable sky to detect cosmic events. It collects data through wide-field photographs, while NASA’s NEOWISE infrared telescope supports discoveries by capturing 62 snapshots. Ryan Lau, lead author of the new paper and an assistant astronomer at NSF’s NOIR Lab in Tucson, Arizona, said, “It was because of the combination with the infrared data from NEOWISE that you can kind of piece together that there’s something more interesting going on.” The JWST Telescope played a crucial role in providing the precision needed to clearly identify the event.
Lau added, “It’s a very crowded region of the sky to look at. So, we had the perfect capabilities with JWST to get this information. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have been able to do this.”
Researchers like Salyk hope to learn more by exploring questions such as whether all of these events look the same or share similar features.
Embracing infinite possibilities
Dr. Bernard Harris, a former NASA astronaut, spent over 400 hours in space during two missions and made history as the first African American to walk in space. Now, he's sharing the mindset that helped him break barriers.
In his new book, Embracing Infinite Possibilities: Letting Go of Fear to Find Your Highest Potential, Harris encouraged readers to move beyond fear and strive for greatness.
“On my second mission, I had the opportunity to do a spacewalk,” Harris said. “Wearing a 350-pound spacesuit, I stepped outside for about five hours. After we completed our tasks, I took a moment to just take it all in.”
Harris shared how overcoming fear was crucial to completing his mission. “What’s important is realizing that if we choose to, we can set fear aside and focus on the task at hand,” Harris said. “If you let fear take hold, it can get internalized and stop you from doing what you’re truly capable of.”
His mission involved capturing a satellite floating in orbit using a robotic arm. Harris explained that he had to slowly approach the satellite and carefully secure it. A precise process that is required to safely wrap the satellite and bring it back into the shuttle.
Harris shared how faith helped him through delays and setbacks before his first spaceflight. After being selected early for a mission, he faced two years of postponed launches, including one that was aborted just seconds before liftoff.
In that moment of doubt, he found comfort in a Bible verse, which gave him the strength to keep going.
“It was just so comforting to me, enough to get me through the month of standing down until we got in the vehicle a month later, and successfully launched in space,” he said.
Harris believed it was both his training and his faith that made the mission possible and gave him the chance to see Earth as he believed God sees it.
Harris has a foundation called the Harris Institute, founded in 1998 after years of speaking to students across the country as an astronaut.
He saw firsthand the gaps in the education system, especially in underserved communities, and realized the importance of bringing diverse experiences into the classroom.
The foundation focuses on STEM and STEAM education to prepare young people for a technology-driven world, with an emphasis on students from socially and economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
“I believe success, both individually and from a community standpoint and that through education, health and wealth.”
