Here comes the sun AlgolOnline / Alamy Stock Photo

Stars like the sun don’t last forever—they eventually expand and envelop the inner members of their planetary systems. But the sun isn’t the only thing going out with a bang—the planets might too. A new study suggests that as a star begins to die and slowly expands outward, it would temporarily light up as it eats the worlds it hosts. If this turns out to be the case, we could potentially catch a star in the act of planetary cannibalism.

“All these planets that were mostly safe for most of the star’s lifetime …