In an extraordinary event that has rocked the astronomical community, scientists using the Gemini South telescope in Chile, operated by NSF’s NOIRLab, have captured the first-ever evidence of a dying Sun-like star in the act of engulfing an exoplanet. This monumental finding, referred to as the "smoking gun," reveals a long, low-energy outburst from the star, a clear indication of a planet skimming the star's surface. This sighting is of particular interest to our home planet as it could provide insights into the Earth's ultimate destiny, predicted to occur when our Sun reaches its own end-of-life stage, estimated to be in about five billion years.

Astronomers have long studied countless stars at various stages of their evolution to understand the lifecycle of stars and their interactions with neighboring planetary systems as they age. This research has shown that when a Sun-like star approaches the end of its life, it swells anywhere from 100 to 1000 times its original size, potentially swallowing the inner planets of its system. Events like this are speculated to occur only a handful of times each year across the vast expanse of the Milky Way. Past observations have indeed confirmed the aftermath of planetary engulfments, but capturing one in the act had remained elusive until now.

Thanks to the incredible capabilities of the Gemini South Adaptive Optics Imager (GSAOI) on Gemini South, part of the International Gemini Observatory managed by NSF’s NOIRLab, this groundbreaking observation has been made possible. The evidence was gleaned from a "long and low-energy" outburst from a star in the Milky Way, approximately 13,000 light-years from Earth. The event, the spectacular devouring of a planet by a bloated star, offers a sneak peek into the eventual fate of Mercury, Venus, and Earth when our Sun begins its death throes in about five billion years.