Planet-devouring star discovered

A group of astronomers at the Rochester Institute of Technology and the UCLA have discovered a Sun-like star that might be devouring planets orbiting around it.

RZ Piscium is located about 550 light-years away from the Earth in the constellation Pisces and its light dims in irregular intervals.

Examining RZ Piscium using the European Space Agency's (ESA) XMM-Newton satellite, the astronomers discovered that the surface temperature of the star is 5,330 degrees Celsius. The star is fairly young – it is about 30 to 50 million years old.

Scientists believe that the star's “winking” is due to its absorption of the matter from dissolved planets orbiting around it.

This theory is supported by the fact that RZ Piscium is surrounded by a big cloud of dust.

Rochester Institute of Technology

UCLA

RZ Piscium

planet devouring star

XMM Newton satellite