BBC Sky at Night

Q&A WITH AN EXOPLANET OBSERVER

How are planets destroyed at the end of a star's life?

In the process of becoming a white dwarf, a star like our Sun undergoes major changes involving its size and luminosity, when the star transforms into a so-called ‘giant star'. The star's size increases by a factor of hundreds, and it will easily swallow planets that are too close. For example, in the Solar System, Mercury and Venus

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