All articles tagged with #red giant stars
New observations of the red giant star R Doradus suggest that starlight alone cannot account for the powerful winds that distribute life's essential elements across the galaxy, challenging decades-old theories and indicating other processes like stellar pulsations or dust formation may be involved.
Astronomers have discovered that the acoustic oscillations of red giant stars at different ages can be used to more precisely measure cosmic distances, potentially offering a solution to the "Hubble tension" problem. This discovery could add a new rung to the cosmic distance ladder, as red giants at a critical point in their evolution can serve as "standard candles" for distance measurements. By distinguishing the ages of red giants, researchers hope to improve the accuracy of the Hubble constant measurement and gain new insights into the fundamental processes shaping the universe's evolution.
Astronomers have discovered a new type of star, dubbed "old smokers," near the center of the Milky Way galaxy. These aging, giant stars remain inactive for decades before emitting clouds of smoke and dust, potentially influencing the distribution of elements across the universe. The discovery was made during a decade-long survey involving the monitoring of nearly a billion stars in infrared light, leading to the identification of these previously hidden stellar objects. Further research is needed to understand the process behind the release of dense smoke and its impact on the spread of heavy elements in the galaxy.
Astronomers have discovered a new type of star, dubbed "old smokers," near the center of the Milky Way galaxy. These aging, giant stars remain inactive for decades before emitting clouds of smoke and dust, potentially playing a role in distributing elements across the universe. The discovery was made during a decade-long survey involving monitoring nearly a billion stars in infrared light, revealing not only the old smokers but also newborn stars and unusual changes in luminosity among red giant stars. This unexpected finding could have wider significance for understanding the spread of heavy elements in the Milky Way's nuclear disc and other galaxies.
Astronomers have discovered a new type of star, dubbed "old smokers," near the center of the Milky Way galaxy. These aging, giant stars remain inactive for decades before emitting clouds of smoke and dust, potentially influencing the distribution of elements across the universe. The discovery was made during a decade-long survey involving the monitoring of nearly a billion stars in infrared light, leading to the identification of these previously hidden stellar objects. Further research is needed to understand the process behind the release of dense smoke and its impact on the spread of heavy elements in the galaxy.
Astronomers using the Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope (VISTA) have discovered 32 erupting protostars, experiencing rapid brightness increases within the disk of matter surrounding them, potentially affecting planet formation. Additionally, a new type of red giant star, known as "old smokers," has been found in the center of our galaxy, casting off clouds of dust that temporarily obscure the star and then re-brighten, potentially changing our understanding of heavy element release into the galaxy.
Astronomers have discovered a new category of ancient giant red stars, dubbed "old smokers," as well as violently erupting newborn protostars in the Milky Way's heart through a 10-year survey with the VISTA telescope. The team found 32 erupting protostars and 21 "old smokers," which are red stars that suddenly emit clouds of smoke after sitting quietly for decades. These discoveries could provide insights into the distribution of heavy elements in the cosmos and the formation of stars and planets.
Astronomers using NASA's TESS have discovered two new "hot Jupiter" exoplanets, TOI-4377 b and TOI-4551 b, orbiting red-giant stars. These giant alien worlds have short orbital periods and high surface temperatures, similar to Jupiter. The findings contribute to the understanding of short-period giant planets around red-giant stars, which are relatively rare.
Astronomers have discovered a planet, named Halla, orbiting a red giant star called Baekdu, which should have been engulfed by the star's expansion. The star has already started fusing helium in its core, indicating that it should have grown large enough to consume the planet. However, two possible scenarios have been proposed to explain Halla's survival: either Baekdu was once part of a binary star system that prevented its expansion, or Halla is a relatively newborn planet formed from the collision of two stars. This discovery challenges our understanding of where exoplanets can exist.