Scientists may have discovered why the orbits of some planets decay, ultimately leaving these worlds to "death spiral" into their stars. This discovery may help astronomers spot which planets in star systems are doomed die a fiery death, and when.
Recent research had revealed that as many as one in 12 stars may have cannibalized one of their own planets, but what remained unknown is quite what caused these planets to plunge into their stellar parents in the first place. Now, however, an investigation by an international team of scientists has revealed the mechanism causing some planets to "take the plunge."
