Planet-eating stars can be identified by their telltale chemistry

By Jason Arunn Murugesu

Artist’s content of an exoplanet successful orbit astir a binary star

MasPix/Alamy

Astronomers could boost the ratio of the search for alien worlds that mightiness harbour beingness by utilizing a method that tin assistance find whether a prima has already eaten its planets.

Lorenzo Spina astatine the Astronomical Observatory of Padua, Italy, and his colleagues analysed a bid of binary stars – pairs of stars that orbit 1 another. Because some stars successful a binary brace typically formed from a azygous elephantine molecular cloud, they should beryllium chemically identical.

“However, we’ve known for …

Existing subscribers, delight log in with your email code to nexus your relationship access.

Paid quarterly

Inclusive of applicable taxes (VAT)