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Astronomers use beryllium to detect planets swallowed by stars
Original: # ICYMI : How do you know if a star ate its planets? Lithium can disappear inside stars over time, but beryllium lasts l
The SETI Institute is explaining how astronomers can tell when a star has engulfed its own planets. Lithium, which can reveal such events, gradually disappears inside stars over time, but beryllium lasts much longer, offering a more durable chemical clue that rocky worlds may have been swallowed. Anne Rathsam walks through the stellar detective work in the institute's latest episode.
Why now: The SETI Institute just published new educational content explaining the chemistry behind detecting planet consumption by stars.
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