Astronomers have seen our future, and it's a hot one. An international team has spotted a planet orbiting so close to its parent star, a red giant called HD 102272, that it's actually grazing the sun's outer atmosphere. They believe that the starlocated about 1,200 years away in the constellation expanded out to meet the planet. Now for the bad news: HD 102272 is the same type of star as our sun, but much older. So, about 5 billion years from now, after our sun enters its own red-giant phase, it will vaporize the four inner planets, including Earth. Studying HD 102272 will help astronomers understand the processes at work, the team reports in an upcoming issue of The Astrophysical Journal, but it's unlikely to help us avoid Armageddon. (Photo: NASA)
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