Did a Sun-like star quietly swallow one of its own planets, leaving behind a spike of lithium it should have lost long ago?

Did a Sun-like star quietly swallow one of its own planets, leaving behind a spike of lithium it should have lost long ago?

An aging star is carrying a chemical signature it has no business still having: a strong line of lithium, an element that stars of its kind burn away as they grow old. A team of astronomers argues the most likely reason is dramatic. The star, called TOI-5882, may have swallowed one of its own planets, and the lithium is what the meal left behind. The claim, reported in a study in The Astrophysical Journal, is careful to call the engulfment a can…