Swallowed Worlds: How a Lost Hot Jupiter May Have Spun Up Kepler-56

Takato Tokuno’s study suggests that the red giant Kepler-56’s rapid rotation and misaligned core and envelope likely result from swallowing a hot Jupiter. Simulations show that its two known planets cannot provide enough angular momentum, but an engulfed giant planet could. This makes Kepler-56 a strong candidate for a star whose unusual spin reveals evidence of past planetary engulfment.