Story perspectives

Star's Flickering Linked to Ancient Planetary Collision

3/17/2026

Summary

Story summary

Gaia20ehk, a star about 11,000 light-years from Earth, began flickering dramatically around 2016.
Researchers attribute the flickering to a collision between two planets that produced debris blocking Gaia20ehk's light.
Anastasios Tzanidakis of the University of Washington notes the event parallels the ancient collision that formed Earth and the Moon.
The findings, published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, could advance understanding of planetary system evolution and the conditions for life.

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Story summary

Gaia20ehk, a star about 11,000 light-years from Earth, began flickering dramatically around 2016.
Researchers attribute the flickering to a collision between two planets that produced debris blocking Gaia20ehk's light.
Anastasios Tzanidakis of the University of Washington notes the event parallels the ancient collision that formed Earth and the Moon.
The findings, published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, could advance understanding of planetary system evolution and the conditions for life.