Indian tourist arrivals to Egypt jump 18.8% in H1-2025: ministry data    African agribusiness market expected to reach $1tr by 2030    Price cuts underway across Egypt, says trade federation report    Egypt sets $12bn target for ready-to-wear garment exports by 2031    Israelis protest for hostage deal amid growing pressure on Netanyahu    Serbia's Vucic vows 'tough measures' against protesters after unrest    Zelenskyy seeks US security guarantees as Trump says he can 'end war now'    Egyptian pound down vs. US dollar at Monday's close – CBE    Egypt's FM, Palestinian PM visit Rafah crossing to review Gaza aid    Egypt delivers over 30 million health services through public hospitals in H1 2025    Egypt joins Geneva negotiations on Global Plastics Treaty, calls for urgent agreement    Egypt recovers collection of ancient artefacts from Netherlands    Egypt, UNDP discuss outcomes of joint projects, future environmental cooperation    Egypt harvests 315,000 cubic metres of rainwater in Sinai as part of flash flood protection measures    Egypt, Namibia explore closer pharmaceutical cooperation    Fitch Ratings: ASEAN Islamic finance set to surpass $1t by 2026-end    Renowned Egyptian novelist Sonallah Ibrahim dies at 88    Egyptian, Ugandan Presidents open business forum to boost trade    Al-Sisi says any party thinking Egypt will neglect water rights is 'completely mistaken'    Egypt's Sisi warns against unilateral Nile measures, reaffirms Egypt's water security stance    Egypt's Sisi, Uganda's Museveni discuss boosting ties    Egypt, Huawei explore healthcare digital transformation cooperation    Egypt's Sisi, Sudan's Idris discuss strategic ties, stability    Egypt's govt. issues licensing controls for used cooking oil activities    Egypt to inaugurate Grand Egyptian Museum on 1 November    Egypt's Sisi: Egypt is gateway for aid to Gaza, not displacement    Greco-Roman rock-cut tombs unearthed in Egypt's Aswan    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    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    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.