Theory on Lithium in Stars May Be
Confirmed
The light chemical element lithium is one of the few elements that is predicted to have been created by the Big Bang, 13.8 billion years ago. But understanding the amounts of lithium observed in stars around us today in the Universe has given astronomers headaches.
Most heavy elements are produced during supernovae, as massive stars explode in their death throes. However, these events were believed to be too rare to produce the vast amount of lithuim seen in the modern universe. Starting in the 1970s, astrophysicists began to explore the idea that the smaller but far more common novae could provide the material needed to spice surrounding stars with the element.
The discovery of lithium in the debris of an exploding star has allowed astronomers to unravel one of the outstanding …show more content…
Observations of Nova Centauri 2013 made using telescopes at ESO's La Silla Observatroy, and near Santiago in Chile, help to explain the mystery of why many young stars seem to have more of this chemical element than expected. This new finding fills in a long-missing piece in the puzzle representing our galaxy's chemical evolution, and is a big step forward for astronomers trying to understand the amounts of different chemical elements in stars in the Milky Way.
The quantity of lithium produced in the nova in the Centauri system was relatively small. However, researchers believe that enough of therse events may occur throughout the universe to explain the discrepancy seen in lithium concentrations in younger and older stars.
Nova Centauri 2013 (also called V1369 Centauri) erupted in the nearly Centauri star system two year ago, becoming visible to the naked eye. These eventes take place in binary systems, where one partner loses material to its companion. When this deposit of gas and dust reaches a certain threshold, the gas erupts into a violent
Confirmed
The light chemical element lithium is one of the few elements that is predicted to have been created by the Big Bang, 13.8 billion years ago. But understanding the amounts of lithium observed in stars around us today in the Universe has given astronomers headaches.
Most heavy elements are produced during supernovae, as massive stars explode in their death throes. However, these events were believed to be too rare to produce the vast amount of lithuim seen in the modern universe. Starting in the 1970s, astrophysicists began to explore the idea that the smaller but far more common novae could provide the material needed to spice surrounding stars with the element.
The discovery of lithium in the debris of an exploding star has allowed astronomers to unravel one of the outstanding …show more content…
Observations of Nova Centauri 2013 made using telescopes at ESO's La Silla Observatroy, and near Santiago in Chile, help to explain the mystery of why many young stars seem to have more of this chemical element than expected. This new finding fills in a long-missing piece in the puzzle representing our galaxy's chemical evolution, and is a big step forward for astronomers trying to understand the amounts of different chemical elements in stars in the Milky Way.
The quantity of lithium produced in the nova in the Centauri system was relatively small. However, researchers believe that enough of therse events may occur throughout the universe to explain the discrepancy seen in lithium concentrations in younger and older stars.
Nova Centauri 2013 (also called V1369 Centauri) erupted in the nearly Centauri star system two year ago, becoming visible to the naked eye. These eventes take place in binary systems, where one partner loses material to its companion. When this deposit of gas and dust reaches a certain threshold, the gas erupts into a violent