Astronomers know that stars can sometimes eat planets. This is expected in our own Solar System when the Sun leaves the main sequence in a few billion years. It will swell and become first a subgiant, then a full-blown red giant. When that happens, it will consume Mercury, Venus, and maybe Earth. But this process plays out near the end of a star's life. Some stars are eating planets long before they leave the main sequence. New research found several red dwarf stars (M dwarfs) that have consumed planets, and the presence of lithium revealed their messy planetary meals. The research is published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society and is titled " Lithium-rich M-dwarfs at the ZAMS: evidence for planetary engulfment? " The lead author is Robin Jeffries, Professor of Astrophysics at Keele University. The authors say that engulfment can happen normally, and there can be several causes.…