{"id":183615,"date":"2025-11-16T12:32:10","date_gmt":"2025-11-16T12:32:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/183615\/"},"modified":"2025-11-16T12:32:10","modified_gmt":"2025-11-16T12:32:10","slug":"dying-old-stars-destroy-their-planets-new-research-shows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/183615\/","title":{"rendered":"Dying old stars destroy their planets, new research shows"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/dying-star-engulfing-planet-RAS-November-5-2025.jpeg\" alt=\"Stars destroy their planets: Large reddish star, with a planet almost touching it. The planet has a long tail of glowing material streaming behind it.\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" class=\"size-full wp-image-527955\"  \/><a href=\"https:\/\/ras.ac.uk\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/image_full_content\/public\/2025-11\/Ageing%20star%20engulfing%20planet.jpeg?itok=SC1DEjKN\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">View larger<\/a>. | Artist\u2019s concept of a dying star engulfing a planet. A new study from researchers at University College London and the University of Warwick in the U.K. shows how old stars destroy their planets as they swell up to become <a href=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/astronomy-essentials\/what-are-red-giants-definition\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">red giants<\/a>. Image via International Gemini Observatory\/ NOIRLab\/ NSF\/ AURA\/ M. Garlick\/ M. Zamani\/ <a href=\"https:\/\/ras.ac.uk\/news-and-press\/research-highlights\/ageing-stars-may-be-destroying-their-closest-planets\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Royal Astronomical Society<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/deed.en\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">CC BY 4.0<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/helpsupportearthsky.org\/2025-donation-campaign\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Your support = more science, more stars, more wonder.<\/strong><br \/>Donate to EarthSky and be part of something bigger.<\/a><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Red giant stars are dying stars<\/strong> that were once like the sun and have now swollen enormously as they enter the latter stages of their lives. Can their planets survive?<\/li>\n<li><strong>Red giants will consume and destroy any planets<\/strong> that are too close, astronomers have long suspected. New evidence supports that scenario.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Planets are much less common around red giants<\/strong> \u2013 especially older red giants \u2013 the new research also shows. This suggests that most of their planets have already been destroyed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Old stars destroy their planets<\/p>\n<p>Do old stars destroy the planets closest to them? Scientists have long known that stars like the sun eventually expand into <a href=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/astronomy-essentials\/what-are-red-giants-definition\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">red giants<\/a> as they begin to die. It\u2019s been assumed that any <a href=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/astronomy-essentials\/what-are-exoplanets\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">exoplanets<\/a> close enough to the original star would be consumed. On November 5, 2025, researchers at University College London and the University of Warwick in the U.K. presented <a href=\"https:\/\/ras.ac.uk\/news-and-press\/research-highlights\/ageing-stars-may-be-destroying-their-closest-planets\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">more evidence<\/a> to show that\u2019s the case. They studied nearly half a million red giant stars. And they determined that exoplanets were much less likely to be found around the red giants, especially older red giants, than around other stars. This suggests that many planets \u2013 the closest ones in particular \u2013 might have already been destroyed.<\/p>\n<p>Using data from NASA\u2019s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (<a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/mission\/tess\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">TESS<\/a>), the researchers identified 130 planets and planetary candidates. Of those, 33 were new and previously unknown.<\/p>\n<p>The researchers <a href=\"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/mnras\/article\/544\/1\/1186\/8286899\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">published<\/a> their <a href=\"https:\/\/ras.ac.uk\/journals\/editorial-policies\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">peer-reviewed<\/a> findings in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society on October 15, 2025.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"bluesky-embed\" data-bluesky-uri=\"at:\/\/did:plc:ipnqgjcngbafxdo3bv3gamrx\/app.bsky.feed.post\/3m4vjl45f7x2n\" data-bluesky-cid=\"bafyreihsnqiivyjhqn63ox4daq4sgwqkksshvpddx3mdg42k6def5xrvla\">\n<p>Observations indicate that giant planets orbiting close to aging stars are less common around red giants, suggesting many may be destroyed as their host stars expand and evolve.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/did:plc:ipnqgjcngbafxdo3bv3gamrx?ref_src=embed\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Science X \/ Phys.org (@sciencex.bsky.social)<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/did:plc:ipnqgjcngbafxdo3bv3gamrx\/post\/3m4vjl45f7x2n?ref_src=embed\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">2025-11-05T12:00:19-05:00<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Spiraling to destruction<\/p>\n<p>The scenario is fairly simple. As the star swells into a red giant, planets that are too close will start to spiral inward due to the powerful gravitational pull. Ultimately, the bloated giant star consumes them. Lead author <a href=\"https:\/\/embryant.github.io\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Edward Bryant<\/a> at Mullard Space Science Laboratory at University College London and the University of Warwick in the U.K. <a href=\"https:\/\/ras.ac.uk\/news-and-press\/research-highlights\/ageing-stars-may-be-destroying-their-closest-planets\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">explained<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>This is strong evidence that as stars evolve off their main sequence, they can quickly cause planets to spiral into them and be destroyed. This has been the subject of debate and theory for some time, but now we can see the impact of this directly and measure it at the level of a large population of stars.<\/p>\n<p>We expected to see this effect, but we were still surprised by just how efficient these stars seem to be at engulfing their close planets.<\/p>\n<p>We think the destruction happens because of the gravitational tug-of-war between the planet and the star, called tidal interaction. As the star evolves and expands, this interaction becomes stronger.<\/p>\n<p>Just like the moon pulls on Earth\u2019s oceans to create tides, the planet pulls on the star. These interactions slow the planet down and cause its orbit to shrink, making it spiral inward until it either breaks apart or falls into the star.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/antares-arcturus-sun-contrast.png\" alt=\"A giant sphere with a circle marked Orbit of Mars, a much smaller sphere, and a dot labeled sun.\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" class=\"size-full wp-image-185271\"  \/>Red giants are immense! Here, we see the contrasting sizes of the red supergiant <a href=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/brightest-stars\/antares-rivals-mars-as-the-scorpions-heart\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Antares<\/a> and the \u201corange\u201d red giant star <a href=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/brightest-stars\/bright-orange-arcturus-use-the-big-dipper-to-find-it\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Arcturus<\/a> and the sun. Image via <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Redgiants.svg\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Wikimedia Commons<\/a>.<br \/>\n130 planets and planetary candidates<\/p>\n<p>Overall, the research team studied 130 exoplanets and planetary candidates (planets that are tentatively identified but need to be confirmed) in the TESS data.<\/p>\n<p>Initially, the researchers started with 15,000 possible planetary signals. Then, after eliminating false positives, they reduced the number to 130. And 33 of those were brand-new candidates not known before. In addition, astronomers already knew of 48 of the planets, and 49 that scientists had already identified as planetary candidates.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Edward-Bryant-Mullard-Space-Science-Laboratory-University-College-London-University-of-Warwick.jpg\" alt=\"Smiling man at a waterfront wearing sunglasses and dark shirt.\" width=\"500\" height=\"796\" class=\"size-full wp-image-527960\"  \/><a href=\"https:\/\/embryant.github.io\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Edward Bryant<\/a> at the Mullard Space Science Laboratory at University College London and the University of Warwick in the U.K. is the lead author of the new study about red giant stars and their <a href=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/astronomy-essentials\/what-are-exoplanets\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">exoplanets<\/a>. Image via <a href=\"https:\/\/embryant.github.io\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">GitHub<\/a>.<br \/>\nFewer planets for older red giant stars<\/p>\n<p>Notably, the researchers found that the older the star \u2013 in the late red giant stage \u2013 the fewer planets it had. Stars that have aged enough to become red giants are post-main sequence stars. Stars that haven\u2019t reached that stage yet, like our own sun, are <a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/universe\/stars\/types\/#main-sequence\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">main sequence stars<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Likewise, there was also a noticeable pattern with the age of the stars within the post-main sequence stage. The overall occurrence rate of planets was 0.28%. The \u201cyoungest\u201d ones \u2013 stars that had just become red giants \u2013 had planets at a rate 0f 0.35%. But, as the red giant stars themselves continued to get older, that rate dropped to 0.11%.<\/p>\n<p>This supports the scenario that as red giants continue to age and expand, they engulf more of their planets. The researchers still want to understand better just how the planets begin to spiral inward to their stars. To do so, astronomers need to know their masses, which they can find using the TESS data. As Bryant noted:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Once we have these planets\u2019 masses, that will help us understand exactly what is causing these planets to spiral in and be destroyed.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The findings also foreshadow the fate of our own solar system. Indeed, our own sun faces the same fate. Will any of the planets survive? Luckily for us, it\u2019s still several billion years in the future!<\/p>\n<p>Bottom line: Astronomers have found new evidence that dying stars destroy their planets \u2013 with the closest planets at greatest risk \u2013 as the stars swell up into red giants.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/mnras\/article\/544\/1\/1186\/8286899\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Source: Determining the impact of post-main-sequence stellar evolution on the transiting giant planet population<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ras.ac.uk\/news-and-press\/research-highlights\/ageing-stars-may-be-destroying-their-closest-planets\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Via Royal Astronomical Society<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/space\/exoplanets-puffy-atmosphere-phoenix-hot-neptune-exoplanets-red-giant-star\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Read more: Phoenix exoplanet\u2019s puffy atmosphere survives red giant star<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/space\/an-all-sky-red-giant-star-symphony\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Read more: An all-sky red giant star symphony<\/a><\/p>\n<p>                    Paul Scott Anderson<br \/>\n                    <a href=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/author\/paul-scott-anderson\/\" class=\"post-author-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">View Articles<\/a><\/p>\n<p>                    About the Author:<\/p>\n<p>Paul Scott Anderson has had a passion for space exploration that began when he was a child when he watched Carl Sagan\u2019s Cosmos. He studied English, writing, art and computer\/publication design in high school and college. He later started his blog The Meridiani Journal in 2005, which was later renamed Planetaria. He also later started the blog Fermi Paradoxica, about the search for life elsewhere in the universe.&#13;<br \/>\n&#13;<br \/>\nWhile interested in all aspects of space exploration, his primary passion is planetary science and SETI. In 2011, he started writing about space on a freelance basis with Universe Today. He has also written for SpaceFlight Insider and AmericaSpace and has also been published in The Mars Quarterly. He also did some supplementary writing for the iOS app Exoplanet.&#13;<br \/>\n&#13;<br \/>\nHe has been writing for EarthSky since 2018, and also assists with proofing and social media.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"View larger. | Artist\u2019s concept of a dying star engulfing a planet. A new study from researchers at&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":183616,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[77],"tags":[18,6123,19,17,103534,133,451,103533],"class_list":{"0":"post-183615","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-science","8":"tag-eire","9":"tag-exoplanets","10":"tag-ie","11":"tag-ireland","12":"tag-red-giants","13":"tag-science","14":"tag-space","15":"tag-stars-destroy-their-planets"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/183615","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=183615"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/183615\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/183616"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=183615"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=183615"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=183615"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}