Planet-eating stars are more abundant in the universe than previously thought, an Australian-led study has found.
The study, by the Australian Research Council's Centre of Excellence for All Sky Astrophysics in Three Dimensions (Astro 3D), looked at "co-natal" or twin stars, born from the same molecular cloud, where one had "eaten" a planet and the other had not.
The researchers found one in 12 pairs of stars have absorbed entire planets or planetary material, changing their chemical make up.
Astronomers assumed such an event was possible, but the first planet-eating star was only caught in the act last year, and the latest study shows the cosmic consumption is more common than previously thought and can happen with younger stars.
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