Astronomers have analyzed the chemical signatures of millions of stars and noticed that many have evidence of surprisingly heavy metals in their upper atmospheres. These heavier metals should have sunk down into the star during formation, so they must have been deposited later. A new paper calculates that up to 30% of Sun-like stars have engulfed rocky planets during their lifetimes. This would explain why ultra-short-period planets are extremely rare. They were eaten.
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