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Astronomers discover giant star with unusual chemical composition, intriguing the scientific community. Many times larger than the Sun
Astronomers have identified a massive star, J0524-0336, located about 30.000 light years from Earth, which has an unexpected and mysterious composition. The star, 30 times larger than the Sun, contains an unusual amount of lithium, about 100.000 times more than that found in ordinary stars of similar age.
This intriguing discovery raises questions about the business current trends in stellar evolution, challenging traditional understanding of the creation and destruction of elements in the core of stars.
Sun got small – Star J0524-0336 is special
In most stars, light elements such as lithium are consumed and transformed into heavier elements such as carbon and oxygen through fusion. nuclear. This process is expected as stars age and evolve, but J0524-0336 is an exception to this rule.
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The star not only contains a colossal amount of lithium, but also has a deficiency of other heavy elements, a characteristic that intrigues scientists and raises the hypothesis that something peculiar is going on.
Techniques used to study the star: how was lithium measured?
To analyze the composition of J0524-0336, researchers used the spectroscopy technique, which allows the identification of the elements present in the star from the light it emits.
Different elements absorb and emit light in specific patterns, creating a “fingerprint” that astronomers can interpret. This technique revealed a huge amount of lithium, surprising the scientific community.
According to Rana Ezzeddine, a researcher at the University of Florida and leader of the study, “this amount of lithium in a star like J0524-0336 completely challenges current models of stellar evolution and may suggest the existence of a yet unknown mechanism for the production or retention of lithium in stars.”
Possible explanations for the high lithium content
Scientists have come up with a few theories to explain the high lithium content in J0524-0336:
- Unknown phase in stellar evolution: The first hypothesis is that the star is going through an unprecedented and hitherto undocumented phase of stellar evolution. This would mean that the star, as it evolves, could be producing and retaining lithium in a previously unknown way.
- Absorption of a lithium-rich planet or nearby star: Another possibility is that J0524-0336 may have, at some point in its expansion, swallowed a nearby planet or even a lithium-rich star. If this happened recently, the star may not have yet transformed all of that lithium into heavier elements.
Ezzeddine mentions that given the extreme amount of lithium, it is possible that both theories are correct, or even that another unknown process is at work.
This discovery has a direct impact on theories of stellar evolution. For years, models have been built based on observations of how stars consume lithium and other light elements as they age.
The presence of so much lithium in J0524-0336 requires scientists to consider new possibilities or factors not yet understood.
Next steps in research
Ezzeddine's team plans to continue observing J0524-0336, monitoring how the star evolves and whether its chemical composition changes over time. They will look for additional signals that could support their theories, such as:
- The presence of a circumstellar dust disk: If the star is surrounded by a dust disk, it could indicate that J0524-0336 has undergone a mass-loss event, such as a stellar interaction.
- The absence of a disk: If a circumstellar disk is not observed, it may mean that the high lithium content is the result of an internal process that has yet to be discovered.
For Ezzeddine and his team, this data is essential to determine the cause of the anomaly in J0524-0336. They want to understand whether the specific anomaly can be replicated in other stars or if J0524-0336 is an isolated case.
Initial research results have been published in the arXiv repository and will be presented at The Astrophysical Journal, a renowned journal that publishes astronomical discoveries and advances in astrophysics theories.
The expectation is that this research will encourage new investigations into the presence of lithium and other elements in stars.
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