COSMIC CUISINE COSTS* : CHALLENGING ESSAY

A STAR about 1,300 light-years from Earth shows signs of having devoured one of its planets - and is now gearing up for a second helping, according to a pair of new studies. For many planets, it is their cosmic fate to one day become engulfed by their own stars, then slowly melted down into their constituent elements. This process, known as planetary engulfment, is destined to occur in our own…