Scientists have discovered a type of star that has puzzled them: they have an unknown quirk that sets them apart from standard stellar evolution.
Tübingen/Arizona – The vastness of space is usually incomprehensible to humans and is full of surprises. Among other things, researchers recently discovered the impossible when something came out of a black hole (BW24* reported). Astronomers from Baden-Württemberg* have now discovered a completely new type of star.
The stars in our galaxy usually consist of a surface of hydrogen and helium. However, the discovery by Professor Klaus Werner from the University of Tübingen reveals another peculiarity: the star was covered with carbon and oxygen.
“Mysterious Kind of Star” poses a challenge for researchers
Researchers already know that there are stars that are coated with carbon and oxygen. The reason for this is an explosive resumption of helium fusion, which then brings the two elements to the surface as fuel. “However, this event cannot explain the newly discovered stars. They have larger radii and perform the helium fusion peacefully in their center,” explains Klaus Werner.
The “enigmatic type of star” therefore poses a real challenge to the scientists and their “understanding of stellar evolution”, as the temperature and diameter of the stars indicate that helium nuclei continue to fuse within them.
Astronomers at the University of La Plata in Argentina offer a possible explanation. They believe that the stars were formed by a very rare type of merger between two “white dwarfs”. White dwarfs are stars that have shrunk and are slowly “dying” after millions of years.
New type of star discovered in stellar evolution search program
The two new stars were discovered as part of a search program for stellar evolution. The typical life cycle of a star begins with the nuclear fusion of hydrogen into helium. Over time, deep within stars, a nuclear reaction begins that converts helium into carbon and oxygen. With the new discovery, there is probably a new aspect in the development of the stars for the researchers.
In addition, there are other new findings in space. By chance, a “mega-comet” with a diameter of 150 kilometers was recently discovered, which is racing towards the earth*. *BW24 is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
