Planetary collision

An illustration by principal investigator Andy Tsanidakis of the collision of planets orbiting the star Gaia20ehk in 2021.

Rare evidence of a collision between planets in real time

Researchers at the University of Washington monitored the star Gaia20ehk, which is about 11 light-years from Earth, and discovered unusual dips in light along with a spike in infrared radiation, findings that may indicate a planetary collision similar in characteristics to the event.