XPost: alt.astronomy, alt.fan.heinlein, rec.arts.sci-fi.written

A fairly common for many decades Sci-Fi fate for planets close
to their suns (and someday Earth!) is now observed.

from https://scitechdaily.com/one-orbit-one-everest-lost-a-planet-evaporates-into-a-9-million-kilometer-tail/

One Orbit, One Everest Lost: A Planet Evaporates Into a
9-Million-Kilometer Tail
By Jennifer Chu, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyApril 24, 2025No Comments7 Mins Read

A planet 140 light-years away is rapidly disintegrating, shedding
mineral-rich debris as it orbits its star in just 30.5 hours. Discovered
by MIT researchers via NASA’s TESS, it offers a rare chance to observe a planet evaporating in real time. Credit: SciTechDaily.com
Astronomers from MIT have uncovered a dramatic celestial spectacle: a Mercury-sized exoplanet that is rapidly disintegrating as it orbits
perilously close to its star. The small and rocky lava world sheds an
amount of material equivalent to the mass of Mount Everest every 30.5 hours.

The planet, located 140 light-years away, completes an orbit every 30.5
hours, resulting in intense heat that causes its surface to boil and
stream into space. Detected by NASA’s TESS mission, this crumbling world trails a massive, comet-like tail of minerals, revealing a rare
opportunity to observe a planet in its final throes.

Discovery of a Dying Planet

-----------------go to citation to read it all----

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)