Ramsco's Women Empowerment Initiative Recognized Among Top BRICS Businesswomen Practices for 2025    Egypt, Elsewedy review progress on Ain Sokhna phosphate complex    Gold prices end July with modest gains    Pakistan says successfully concluded 'landmark trade deal' with US    Egypt's FM, US envoy discuss Gaza ceasefire, Iran nuclear talks    Modon Holding posts AED 2.1bn net profit in H1 2025    Egypt's Electricity Ministry says new power cable for Giza area operational    Egypt's Al-Sisi, Italian defence minister discuss Gaza, security cooperation    Egypt's FM discusses Gaza, Nile dam with US senators    Aid airdrops intensify as famine deepens in Gaza amid mounting international criticism    Health minister showcases AI's impact on healthcare at Huawei Cloud Summit    On anti-trafficking day, Egypt's PM calls fight a 'moral and humanitarian duty'    Federal Reserve maintains interest rates    Egypt strengthens healthcare partnerships to enhance maternity, multiple sclerosis, and stroke care    Egypt keeps Gaza aid flowing, total tops 533,000 tons: minister    Indian Embassy to launch cultural festival in Assiut, film fest in Cairo    Egyptian aid convoy heads toward Gaza as humanitarian crisis deepens    Culture minister launches national plan to revive film industry, modernise cinematic assets    Rafah Crossing 'never been closed for one day' from Egypt: PM    I won't trade my identity to please market: Douzi    Two militants killed in foiled plot to revive 'Hasm' operations: Interior ministry    Egypt's EHA, Huawei discuss enhanced digital health    Egypt, Oman discuss environmental cooperation    Egypt's EDA explores pharma cooperation with Belarus    Foreign, housing ministers discuss Egypt's role in African development push    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Three ancient rock-cut tombs discovered in Aswan    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Egypt's Irrigation Minister urges scientific cooperation to tackle water scarcity    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Twin stars unveil planet-consuming behaviors
Published in Daily News Egypt on 22 - 03 - 2024

A recent study published in Nature reveals that approximately one in twelve stars may have consumed planetary material. This intriguing discovery was made by an international team of researchers who examined twin stars—stars that are expected to have identical compositions. However, they found that around 8% of these stellar twins exhibited compositional differences, a finding that has puzzled astronomers.
The research, spearheaded by scientists from ASTRO 3D, suggests that these differences arise when one star in a pair ingests planets or their remnants.
This insight was enabled by a substantial dataset gathered using the 6.5-meter Magellan Telescope and the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope in Chile, as well as the 10-meter Keck Telescope in Hawaii, USA.
"Twin stars, which orbit each other, originate from the same molecular clouds, implying they should share the same makeup," explains Fan Liu, an ASTRO 3D researcher from Monash University and the paper's lead author.
"Our high-precision analysis revealed chemical discrepancies between the twins, strongly indicating that one star has absorbed planets or planetary debris, altering its composition," Liu adds.
This phenomenon was observed in roughly 8% of the 91 twin-star pairs analyzed. Notably, the stars examined are in the prime of their life—main sequence stars—as opposed to aging stars like red giants.
Liu notes, "This contrasts with previous studies focused on aging stars, which can consume nearby planets as they expand into a giant state. While there's some uncertainty about whether the stars are ingesting entire planets or just protoplanetary material, we lean towards the former scenario, though we cannot dismiss the latter."
The study's findings have significant implications for understanding the long-term evolution of planetary systems.
"Before our observations, such events were thought to be improbable. Yet, our data indicates that, albeit infrequent, they are indeed feasible, offering a new perspective for theorists studying planetary evolution," remarks Yuan-Sen Ting, a co-author and fellow ASTRO 3D researcher at the Australian National University (ANU).
The research is part of the broader Complete Census of Co-moving Pairs of Objects (C3PO) project, an initiative to spectroscopically examine all bright co-moving stars identified by the Gaia astrometric satellite. The project is co-led by Liu, Ting, and David Yong, an associate professor also affiliated with ASTRO 3D at ANU.
"The results we've presented here are integral to understanding the Chemical Evolution of the Universe, a primary research focus of ASTRO 3D. They illuminate the distribution and journey of chemical elements, including their consumption by stars," concludes Emma Ryan-Weber, ASTRO 3D's Director.


Clic here to read the story from its source.